Spending Everyday
by Leioa15
Summary: Sequel to I Don't Mind. Katie's father just died and she's trying to mend the pieces of her life back together. Oliver and Katie get a lot closer and she tries to figure out where she fits in in everything that going on. Romance ensues.
1. Girl With The Broken SMile

_Girl With The Broken Smile_

I woke up and Fred was gone. There was a note left on his pillow for me.

_'Make up with Wood._

_Fred'_

Not the longest note ever, but I got the point. I was aiming to do that today anyways. I didn't feel like getting up. I wanted to be alone and just lay there and feel sorry for myself. To be depressed.

Then I made a list of rules for myself about what I was going to do about my now crumpled life.

_Sort things out with Oliver Wood._

_Spend less time with brother figure Fred and more with boyfriend Oliver._

_Try not to think about Dad._

_Try not to cry about Dad._

_Never let Flint push me around again._

_Be happy._

_Cut down on the magical donuts._

_Practice Quidditch to Oliver Wood's Standards._

_Call Oliver Wood 'Princess' more._

_Focusing more in Potions_

_Prevent George and Alicia snogging in my room._

_Stop doodling instead of taking notes._

_Stop staring._

_Get more people socks just because socks rock!_

_Stop obsessing._

_Get Alicia to stop calling people hookers (although it is hilarious)._

_Focus/obsess (but I cant because rule # 15 is to stop obsessing) on loving Oliver Wood._

That was my new list of rules.

I got up despite myself and went to my room. I opened my door and saw Alicia and George asleep in her bed. So much for rule #11! I got some clothes and went back to the door. Neither of them had moved.

My hand slid over the doorknob.

"Wood was here last night looking for you. Did you sleep with Fred or something?"

I spun around. I expected that comment to come from Alicia, but George had spoken. Alicia lay asleep across his chest. He looked so much like Fred that the scene was almost unnerving.

"No," I said. George nodded.

"Good thing. A little piece of advice, Kate, pick one guy and stick with him. Don't be going back and forth between them."

"I'm not going between them."

"It sure looks like it to me."

"Fred's my best friend and Oliver's my boyfriend and you don't know what happened to me."

"Okay."

Silence. "My brother cares about you a lot. He wants you to be happy. Do whatever it takes to be happy and the rest of it all will fall into place."

I looked at him and smiled warmly. "Thanks George. That helps."

"You're lucky to have people care about you like that. It may seem like a burden sometimes, but you always have someone to fall back on. You don't know how lucky you are. Fred and Wood are great guys. But don't fool with their hearts."

"I'm not doing that. I'm not trying to."

"Unintentionally, you are doing that. I know you don't need to, but it happens. Do the right thing Katie."

I nodded.

He grinned. I left and went to take a well-needed shower. I was happy I didn't have to explain the prospect of my father to George. He didn't need to know. My father…damn. Already tears were falling down my face.

------------

I remembered about Oliver's practice just before it was about to start. I put my robes on and grabbed my broom, running onto the Pitch. As soon as I did, I saw my team already practicing in the air.

I got onto my broom and began to rise into the air.

"Bell, you're late," Oliver said, his back to me.

"Sorry."

"Stay right there, I need to have a word with you."

I nodded. When he talked, his voice sounded bitter. If my father hadn't died, this all wouldn't be happening. A tear slipped down my cheek. If he hadn't died, I would be happy at that moment.

My feet hit the ground and Oliver landed beside me. I quickly rubbed my tears away, looking away from him. He looked at me and his anger dissolved. I knew that it was killing him to see me cry.

I bit my lip as I watched him fight the urge to hold me. I knew he wouldn't because our teammates were watching. Also because he was angry with me and I knew it.

"Now, Bell, you know that I don't tolerate tardiness. I also don't approve of competitions between households, which happened yesterday between you and that Marcus Flint of Slytherin. As much as I don't want to do this-"

"You've practiced this, haven't you?"

He blinked. I knew he had, he sounded too much like McGonagall. He was going to kick me off the team.

"Wood, did you ask Dumbledore?"

He sighed. "I did."

"Then you know."

He was silent for a moment or two. I looked up and Alicia gave me a sympathetic look. She knew what was going on. Oliver was kicking me off the team as well as kicking me out of his heart.

"If you're going to kick me off the team, do it. If you're going to break up with me, then you might as well do that, too. But if you're not going to do either because you pity me, don't."

He looked at me. "I don't pity you. I care about you."

I was almost shocked at that. "Then why do you sound like you hate me?"

"I don't hate you."

"Then what's your problem??"

He looked down at his shoes. I sighed.

"Oliver, my father died. I went to Fred because he's such a brother figure to me and because he knew how close I was to my dad. I've known Fred for almost my entire life and he's always been there for me. I admit that I should be spending more time with you and relying on you more, but I feel that you have such issues already, with this Quidditch match and all, that you don't need any more. Stressing you out is the last thing I want."

I watched Oliver absorb this. He took a deep breath. "I _did_ talk to Dumbledore and I _do_ know about your da and _I've _known Fred for almost my entire life, too, and you _should _spend more time with me and you _should _trust me more and although I _do _have issues, I _do _still care about you and you stress me out enough! All this time that I've been frustrated and stressed, it was because of you!!"

I took a step back. He was angry. He sighed.

"And it's all worth it. Because I still really love you."

He smiled and the mood lightened. "That never stopped."

"Then why were you about to kick me off the team?"

He looked down again. "I wasn't…"

"Yes, you were! Is that because of what happened last night? With Fred? Because I preferred to stay with my brother figure than _you_? Is that it Oliver Wood?"

I was shouting now and everyone was watching. I didn't care. I knew that I could just drop it and everything would go back to normal, leaving everything unsolved, but I just couldn't do that. I couldn't just ignore it all when I could solve it now.

Oliver stepped closer to me, his voice hushed. "Katie, let's talk about this later."

"No, we're going to talk about it _now_!"

He looked over at the rest of the team. "Take a break," he shouted, "We'll start again in an hour."

The team, joyfully, landed on the ground and ran to the castle with their remaining strength. Harry sped past me, giving me an encouraging smile. Having someone like Harry on the team was, indeed, a good thing at times like these.

Fred walked by Oliver and I couldn't look at him. I hear Fred mumble to Oliver, "Don't screw up, Wood."

When everyone was gone, I looked up again. Oliver was sitting on the stone bench with his head in his hands. I walked over to him and sat down. I put my hand on his back and rubbed his skin.

"Why does this have to be so complicated?"

He looked up at me. "I don't know, you made it that way?"

"_I_ made it that way?? I made my father die?"

Now I was crying. Oliver was doing everything he could not to look at me. I grabbed his chin and made him look at me.

"Look at me, Oliver! Look at how I am, how you're making me. My father just died and you're making this so complicated!"

He frowned, angry. He grabbed my wrist and shoved it away. "_You're_ the one who slept with Fred!"

"I did _not_!!"

It was silent for a second. "Wood, what's wrong? What do you want me to do? What do you want me to say??"

He sighed. "I don't know."

"I don't know either! Are you angry because you think I slept with Fred instead of with you? I didn't sleep with Fred and I never _will_ sleep with Fred! If I had been with you, I wouldn't have slept with you either. I want this to work out. I have so many things to deal with, I don't want this to be complicated."

"Are you saying we should break up?"

"No, I really want to work this out, Oliver, but you have to want that, too! Now tell me why you're angry with me!"

"I'm not angry with you."

Liar. "You accused me of sleeping with Fred…"

"Okay fine! I suppose I'm just worried because you seem to like Fred more than you like me and you spend more time with him and I hate it that when you're sad you go to him and not me. It's almost a sign to me now. I don't know what to do, Katie. You're so goddamn indecisive!"

I took a step back. I'd never seen him this angry. I didn't want to know how he would have reacted if I HAD slept with Fred. "The reason I'm with Fred so much is because 1) he's my best friend, 2) he's part of my family and my family was split up and he is the only reliable one I have now. My father is dead and I feel like he's the only family member I have that cares about me. I can't afford to lose him-"

"So you can afford to lose me?"

That stopped me. I really didn't know how to answer that. "I love you, Oliver. Losing you would break something more inside me."

"I don't know what to do here."

"I don't know, either. I should spend less time with Fred and more with you; you're my boyfriend and I should be with you more."

He nodded. His voice softened. "But you shouldn't cut Fred entirely out of the picture."

I shook my head. "Never."

"Okay then," he said, starting to smile. I looked down. Okay, this was solved, I thought. Suddenly, Oliver pulled me into his arms and I rested my head on his chest. He kissed the top of my head. I couldn't think about him and how we just solved out fight. The only thing running through my head was my father.

I was crying and Oliver held me tighter. He really had no idea how to react to this situation. He didn't know how to react to girls crying. Me crying. Ouch.

"Where _are_ you?" he whispered into my ear. I didn't know. I felt like I was gone from this place and was somewhere else. But no matter where I was, my father wasn't there.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered.

"For what?" I asked in a flat voice. I felt emotionless, tired. All my emotions spent. I had cried for hours over my father and now had just fought with Oliver.

"For everything. The way I acted…your father."

I pulled back from him. "Don't talk about my dad, please."

He nodded. "If you wanted to take a break from Quidditch because of this…well, I'd understand…"

I stared at him. That was mighty generous considering that he was OBSESSED. He wouldn't understand that, either.

"No, I may be an emotional wreck, but I can't let you down."

"You wouldn't be letting me down. Even if nothing happened with your da, I'd still give you a break because of what happened with Flint."

I pulled back. "You would never give me a break. You're obsessed about Quidditch, face it, Wood."

He nodded. "True, but I can tell when someone needs a break. Even my own girlfriend."

"So we're still dating?"

"Did we ever stop?"

I smiled and so did he.

I took a few steps back, heading towards the castle. "I'm glad we worked things out, Oliver."

He nodded. "Where are you going?"

I sighed and looked to my left for no reason at all. "I have to go sort a few more things out. With Fred."

Oliver nodded. He understood. "Will you be back for practice?"

I took a deep breath. "I should be."

He nodded. "Good."

"What're you going to do for the next…. forty minutes?"

He shrugged. "I don't know."

I walked back to him. "I can talk to Fred later, do you want me to stay with you?"

He shook his head. "No, go finish things. I'll be fine. Don't worry about me."

"No, I'll stay."

He didn't protest then. He sat down next to me, on my left side, on the bench, sliding his arm around my shoulders, pulling me against him. I didn't fight it and it let right arm go to his left shoulder, falling against his chest. He held me to him and he didn't say any more.

"Do you think we're ready for the match?"

I felt him shrug. "I don't know. We've been practicing with only one Chaser. Now that we have you, it should be a lot better."

I nodded. "I hope Flint doesn't do anything crazy again."

He nodded, too. "I don't know why he took the blame, even if he DID start it."

"I don't know, either. Maybe he DOES have a bit of dignity in him."

Oliver shook his head. "Guys like Flint aren't like that."

"You never know. I never thought you'd be this sweet."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, when I first met you, sure, you were attractive and all, but I thought you'd be a little, well, stuck up."

He nodded. "I do tend to send out that message."

I nodded.

"Did you ever think that we'd be together?"

I shook my head. "I always knew that you were to far out of my league."

"Same here."

I didn't believe him. We were silent for a few moments. "Oliver, what are you going to do when you get out of Hogwarts?"

He sighed and shrugged. "Professional Quidditch player, maybe. What do you think? You think I could do it?"

I grinned. "Definitely. But, if that never worked out, I think you should take Hooch's job. The girls would love you."

He rubbed my shoulder. "Why do I need that, I already have a girl who loves me."

I sat up. "And you should be lucky, Wood!"

"I am lucky, Bell."

Good.

"Who do you think will be Captain when I'm gone?"

I shrugged. "Maybe one of the Weasleys, maybe Angie. Hey, maybe even Harry! He can be the youngest Captain in _two_ centuries!"

Oliver grinned. "Harry'd make a wonderful Captain. Hopefully all his adventures wouldn't get in the way."

I nodded. "He'd be good, but no one can be as obsessed about Quidditch as you. No one can be better Captain, either."

"I think you would."

"Never. I could never be Captain. I'm too emotional."

"Are you saying I'm not sensitive enough?" he asked, smirking.

"No, I'm just saying that I'm too emotional."

"Okay."

"All right."

He was silent for a second, like he was thinking. He rubbed my shoulder. He cleared his throat. "Katie?"

"Hmm?"

"T-Tell me about your da, what was he like?"

I sighed. "Oliver, I don't want to talk about him. Every time I think about him, I start crying."

"That's okay."

"Really, Oliver, I don't want to cry again."

He nodded. "I understand. If you ever need me…I'm here. I'm always here."

I nodded. "I know."

"I'm glad."

"So Dumbledore told you everything?"

"He told me that your father died and that I should keep an eye out for you if anything should happen…"

If anything should happen…He meant that you-know-who would try to kill me. Such good news. Harry was used to these sorts of things, people trying to kill him, I wasn't.

"He didn't tell you how he died?"

Oliver shook his head. I was going to brave all and say it out loud. "He was murdered by v-Voldemort."

Oliver grimaced. "No wonder," he said in a low voice.

"No wonder, what?"

"It's no wonder why you seem like you've changed."

"You-know-who didn't do that, the fact that my father's dead did that."

He didn't say anything. I looked up at him and he leaned in. He softly kissed my lips. It wasn't a passionate kiss, nothing like that. Nothing like Oliver. It was sad, like we both had our minds on something else. Kisses usually represent love and certain ideas that take you different places. That kiss was just, and only, a brush of lips that made me feel heavy and thick, like I wasn't going anywhere.

We pulled away at the same time and Oliver pulled me to him.

"All these times when you were with Fred…I've missed you."

"Missed you, too."

He looked down at me with dark eyes. He was still the same Oliver that I'd fallen in love with. He shook his gently.

"You look so different, Katie. Like you've changed."

I nodded. "I've been crying a lot, Oliver."

"I know. It still doesn't change who you are."

I didn't say anything. I rested my head on his chest and thought about that. Who I was. I wasn't sure who I was anymore. I wasn't sure how I felt about anything anymore. Nothing changed the fact that my father was still dead and my life still didn't make any sense. But I was working on it.

* * *

I hope you liked it! I hope this chapter and this new sequel isn't TOO tasteless. I know that it wasnt the greatest at all, but I was sort of in a rush just then. It will get better, I promise. THings between Katie and Oliver will get a LOT better (hint hint) and problems will be solved.

Read and Review! As always. :-) The more reviews, the faster the new chapters get updated.


	2. You Can Never Forget

You Can Never Forget

Surprisingly, the team came back for practice. I had expected them to run for their lives and never come back. But they did. I think Oliver was surprised, too.

"All right, now hopefully we wont have any more _distractions,_" Oliver said to the team, winking at me, "We can go on practicing!"

As we were up in the air, Fred passed me, knocking Bludgers back and forth to George.

"So, how'd it go?"

I shrugged. "I thought it went rather well."

Fred nodded. "That's good. So he's not angry anymore?"

I shook my head. "I don't think so."

I looked down at the goal posts and Oliver was flying in front of the opposite team's, pretending to be Syltherin's Keeper. Alicia tossed me the Quaffle and I flew towards Oliver.

I threw the shot and actually got it. Oliver missed the catch and he wasn't too happy about that. I smiled at him encouragingly and he smiled back.

"I think we'll be ready now," Oliver said to the team, "Slytherin won't know what hit 'em"

"WOOD!" I heard a voice screech. Oliver looked down so quickly he almost fell.

McGonagall stood there on the pitch, her hands on her hips. "Wood," she said in a much calmer voice, "I must borrow Ms. Bell, again."

I sighed. "Not again," I muttered slowly descending.

"But-" Oliver protested.

"You, too, Wood. Come," she said. Oliver's eyes widened.

"Potter!"

"Yes, Professor?"

"Lupin is here, he would like a word with you, as well."

Harry nodded and went to the ground beside us. Oliver looked up in the sky, the rest of our teammates seemed to be paralyzed.

"Listen up," Oliver yelled, "Alicia's in charge, listen to her!"

Alicia, who was talking to George, looked at him. He nodded to her and she nodded back. This was her audition to be captain when Oliver was gone.

As we turned, going towards the castle, I saw Alicia speed to the goalposts.

"All right," she yelled, "This is practice, that means NO talking, Weasley! What'd you say George?? If I heard you correctly, you're taking laps, no 'buts' about it! If I so much as SEE those eyes rolling again, you're sitting down for the rest of the practice as WELL as PERSONAL ignorance from me! Got that?! That goes for the rest of you, too!"

I smiled. Alicia was going to be a good Captain in time.

-------->

McGonagall led us up to Dumbledore's Office. Harry seemed to know the way well and I didn't think Oliver had ever been up there.

McGonagall opened the door for us and I could see Lupin and Dumbledore talking. The door closed and they looked at us.

"Katherine Bell," Remus Lupin said softly, "It's so good to see you again." "Harry," he said, nodding and smiling. "Wood," he said, his voice somewhat lowered.

Dumbledore cleared his throat.

"Ah," Lupin said, "Harry, might I have a word with you outside?"

Harry nodded and they left. Dumbledore motioned for us to sit as McGonagall stood by the doorway. We sat and so did Dumbledore.

"Now," he said, "I have called you here for two different reasons. Wood, do you think that your team is ready for the match in the coming days?"

Wood nodded. "I hope so, Professor."

Dumbledore smiled. "Good, good."

He turned to me. "Ms. Bell, how are you doing?"

I shrugged. "Acceptable."

Dumbledore's jaw clenched. He knew that I was lying. Damn.

"Mr. Wood, you are aware of your teammates…er...predicament?"

Oliver nodded. "Yes, sir, you told me about yourself."

"Right, and do you think she is prepared enough for the match?"

Oliver nodded. "She's fighter. She can do it."

"Have you asked her, yourself?"

Oliver looked at me. I looked at Dumbledore. "I am playing against Slytherin."

Dumbledore shook his head. "I would advise against it. We wouldn't want anything to happen to you. The Flint incident is an example."

I nodded. "But I'm not hurt and if I don't play them we only have one chaser!"

Dumbledore nodded. "As you say."

I heard the door open and Harry came inside. Lupin stuck his head in. "Katie?"

I nodded and left the room. Harry took my seat. I had probably never heard a teacher call me by my first name at Hogwarts.

I stepped outside and Lupin shut the door behind me. I looked at him and he slid his hands into his pockets, looking at me nervously.

"How are you feeling?" he asked me hesitantly.

"All right," I lied. He nodded quickly.

"Good, good, that's good."

"Professor Lupin, what did you want to talk to me about?"

He sighed. "I feel that it is my obligation to look after you, I was one of Nicholas's best friends, and with you mother in her current state, I feel that I am the one to watch over you. Your father mentioned something like that to me once."

Wow. "1) My mother? Her 'current state'?? And 2) He mentioned something like that?"

Lupin nodded. "She's gone crazy. Well, she's _been_ crazy. Not literally, but… you know. Crazy. Not St. Mungos crazy…but out of her mind crazy."

"Why is that? I didn't think she would care that my father's dead."

He hesitated. "She's worried how you are handling everything. I assured her that you would be fine."

"I will be."

"Good, good, that's good."

"My father mentioned something like that to you? That if he was going to die that you would watch over me??"

This was sounding too weird. Like something I'd read about, or that Harry would experience.

Lupin sighed. "Take a walk with me."

We started to walk down the corridor.

"It started way back when we were here. When we were 7th years and were about to graduate. One day, Nicholas turned to me and said, 'Remus, you are my best friend, and you have to promise me something.' Being his best friend, I naturally agreed to listen. He said that we must a pact. That if we ever got married or had children, that the other would look after them if something should happen to he or I. I thought that strange, but I granted his request. I, you see, never got married or had children, perhaps for the obvious reason that happens with the moon and such, but, anyhow, he did. I never took the pact serious until now.

You see, when you were born all those years ago, your father made me your godparent."

Excuse me??? Talk about LUDICROUS!

"Your mother refused to give you a godmother and your father said that if anything should happen to them, that I would be your guardian. Don't ask me how he did it, but somehow, he got it all down legally."

It was silent for a second. I took a deep breath.

"Let me get this straight, my father is dead, murdered, my mother is, still, psycho, you're my 'godfather', in effect, because of a pact you and my dad made about 18 years ago and you expect me to believe this and actually HANDLE this??"

Lupin stared. "O-Only if you want to…"

Wow. Talk about CONFUSION!!!

"So, what does this mean?"

"It means that if you ever, and I DO mean, ever, need anything, that I'm here."

"Except during the full moon," I said bitterly. Even without the look on his face, I knew that I shouldn't have said that.

"I'm sorry," I said. Lupin nodded. "It's quite all right."

We stood there for a second. "Do you need anything?"

"No, I think I'm good for now," I said, smiling.

"Good, good, that's good." Lupin was nervous.

"How are _you _feeling, Professor Lupin? He _was_ your best friend…"

He nodded. "I think I'm feeling the same you are. The same loneliness."

I nodded, too.

"I keep thinking about that day at the Pub. When I didn't get to see him that last time. You saw him, how did he look? Was he happy?"

I nodded. "He looked good and very happy. He said a 'hello' to you and was sorry that he'd missed you."

He sighed. "I wish I could have talked to him one last time…"

"I know, me too."

"It must be different for you, being his daughter. You've relied on him so much over your entire life and he's just gone… I mean, there one moment and gone the next. Without ever saying good bye…"

"Thanks…," I said, suddenly feeling completely awful.

"I did not mean…I was only saying that he must've meant so much more to you than me."

I nodded. I knew what he was trying to accomplish, but it just made me feel worse.

"You know, your father talked about you a great deal. He loved you very, very much."

I nodded. It was good to be reminded of that. He turned away from me, looking in the opposite direction. He blinked furiously and I knew that he was fighting back tears as I was.

"No matter what you do in life, you father still loves you and supports you…"

"Present tense…"

Lupin turned. "I'm sorry?"

"You said that in present tense: 'still loves me,' 'supports me'. He's dead. It should be past tense. 'Would have loved me,' 'would have supported me'."

"No, no, no. He may be gone, but gone completely. He's still alive in your memory and my memory. Even if he _wanted_ to be completely erased, that would never happen. We would still think about him and be reminded. We can never forget. That seems to be the strongest element in one's life. You can never forget. If it means something to you, you can never forget even if you tried. I'll bet you anything that you can still imagine what that Pub looked like when you saw your father for the last time. You might not have remembered what it looked like the day after, but now that you are _trying _to remember, it is as vivid as the day you were there."

He was right.

"So, what I was saying, no matter what you do in your life, your father would have been proud. I will be proud. Now, don't think that I am trying to replace him by taking this position as your godparent, as your father wanted. I would _never_ do that. Not ever. I'm just saying that if things become too unbearable, that I'm here. Don't even think of me as a godparent…more as an uncle, sort of. Something like that."

"Sure, Professor Lupin."

He smiled. "No need to call me that anymore."

I smiled. Talking to him gave me a different sort of comfort. Perhaps the fact that he knew my father when he was my age and was his friend.

"Well, I must be off," he said, "As I said before, if you ever need anything, don't hesitate to send for me. You can always write to me or whatever you choose. Dumbledore would be more than happy to pass on a note or a question to me if that is what you would like to do. I must go now."

I nodded.

"Goodbye, Katie."

I smiled at him and he was suddenly gone.

-------> Back at my room

Oliver was waiting for me when I went back to my room.

"What did Dumbledore talk to you about when I left?"

He shrugged. "Not too much."

"Okay."

"How do you think Alicia did?"

I smiled. "Probably pretty good. You heard her shouting orders."

He smiled. "Yeah. What did Lupin want?"

I sighed and went to sit on my bed. I sat down. "Because of something my dad said years ago, Lupin is now my godparent/uncle figure."

Oliver's eyes widened. "That…that _werewolf_?!"

I frowned and stared at him. "That was an ugly thing to say, Oliver. That's not fair."

"But it's the truth! For all you know, he could kill you! I don't want you anywhere near him!"

I jumped up.

"If my dad could trust him, so can I. I at least owe him that. And I don't take orders from you! I'll go near anyone I choose! And you can't do a bloody thing about it! I can't believe you're so controlling!"

Oliver stared at me. He knew I was right. I'd won. He sighed and his voice was gentler.

"I know, I know. I'm sorry. I'm just scared for you, that's all. I worry about you. Do you trust Lupin?"

"I will."

"All right, just be careful."

I nodded. I remembered what Lupin said, about forgetting, and I tried to get an image of the Pub. The first picture I saw was of Lupin and then my dad.

I was crying so hard I almost fell. Oliver caught me in his strong arms and held me against him as I cried. He sat down on the bed, taking me with him. I was half on, half off, of his lap, crying into his shoulder.

He gulped and I knew that it was killing him to see me cry. His heart was beating quickly and I cried harder. Oliver kissed my cheek and sighed into my ear.

I wanted so badly to be held, to be comforted. To be told that nothing was real. Oliver lay back and my head was on his chest, listening to his heart.

Oliver held my body to the front of his. The harder I tried to stop crying, the faster the tears came. I was sick of crying and I knew that Oliver was sick of seeing me cry. We both wanted me to feel better.

I looked up at him and he brushed a strand of hair out of my eyes, tucking it behind my ear. I smiled at him and he smiled back adoringly.

I reached up and kissed him softly. He kissed me back, but it didn't feel like Oliver. He was holding back, almost telling me that this was wrong. I lay back down on his chest and his hands ran up and down my back soothingly.

After a while, he leaned down and kissed my neck tenderly, almost afraid of hurting me. My fingers ran over the texture of his shirt and I closed my eyes.

Oliver's arm tightened around me and I cuddled further against him. When his fingers ran down my arm, my skin shivered like I was cold. My skin rose to his touch in angry goose bumps.

He was the one who noticed and wrapped my quilt around us, holding me against him even more.

When you fall asleep in someone's arms, you feel safe, held protectively in a circle of their body. That's how I felt when I fell asleep with Oliver. His fingers played with the ends of my hair and he softly kissed my forehead.

He was so warm and I felt so safe that I fell asleep almost instantly. As I was falling asleep, I was _still _pondering what Lupin said about forgetting things. I tried to make memories of what falling asleep with Oliver was like, if I ever lost him. I sighed into my chest and wished that that moment was far away from then.

His arms slid around my back, holding me against him tighter. I could hardly move and I didn't care. One arm was around his neck, and the other was around his waist. With his strong body protecting me, I could forget about anything. But I didn't want to forget. I could never forget.

I would never forget anything, and it all started there.

* * *

Well I hope you liked!!!!! And thank you reviewers of my one-shot!! I know, it was sad...sorry. ButI was feeling sad, so I wrote something sad. In reference to the last chapter:

Kelsey: You know it!! "You're such a hooker!", "Fairy Monkel Lips!!" "He's got the monkies, he's got the monkies!"

AllysonKat: Thanks!

Doodleflip: Thank you so very much!

Intoxication: Emotional is what I do best!

pokethepenguin01: Thank you for making my story one of your favorites! Oh, by no means do I want you gone!! You are so awesome, Alex! Oh, I'll e-mail you anytime! :-D

Lia06: I'm happy I'm writing it too. OMG! I SO want to see the look on Ben's face!!!! You have to tell me ALL about it!!

mello80: Lol, good point. Define: Fluff

Kathy: Lol, good point. I'm really not sure if Fred thinks the same way, I should look into that. He might care about her more than he lets on, but it will never go beyond friendship. Katie is too paranoid to do that and Fred doesn't want to ruin their friendship. True, Katie DOES have a boyfriend and all, but she still feels sort of attracted to Fred. She tries to change her feelings by saying that he is just a brother figure to her, but she gets confused when he does things, like, for example, the ring. By doing that, he just wanted to make sure that she wasn't totally forgetting about him. There is SOME chemistry between them but they both refuse to see it. Nothing will happen between them. I can assure you.

IhopeForAnarchy: OMG! It's the apocalypse! You signed in!!!!!!!!!!!I really like the song-hiding thing, too. It adds a nice touch, don't you think? Wow, was it really that realistic?? That was what I was going for.

ollie's mine!: More more more is coming! :-D

TooSweet4Words: Thank you!

Obbsesive: Thanks!

pokethepenguin01: yes, paragraphs are BAD. Lol it's a Sparkling day now that you've reviewed!

banana-princess93: Lol, well that's okay. He will get a girlfriend!

Read and Review please!!!


	3. The Match

I woke just enough to feel the weight of someone at my back. I snuggled against that warmth, wrapping sleep back around me. And arm spilled over my shoulder, and I wriggled into the circle of arm and body. I opened my eyes and snuggled deeper against him, curling that dark, muscles arm tighter around my body like drawing in a cozy blanket around me. Of course, a blanket did have the hard weight of Oliver, or the silken glide of his skin against mine, or the ability to cuddle back, to use hands to pull my body tighter in against him.

I opened my eyes. Tomorrow, the rest of the students came back. And the day after that, classes resumed. That meant that the Quidditch match was today. I yawned and an arm tightened around my stomach. I lay there, in the circle of his warmth. My back was pressed into Oliver's chest and he was still asleep.

I tried to sit up, untangling myself from his grasp. His arm fell quickly to the space where my chest was. He made a protesting noise and rolled over onto his stomach, his head on my pillow. I turned my head and looked at him. He looked vulnerable lying in my bed alone.

I thought about leaving him and going to go get changed. I knew that I should probably wake him up. Oh well.

I got up and got some clothes. Instead of leaving the room, I simply turned around and changed. I put my pants on and mostly everything else without being interrupted. My shirt was sliding over my shoulders when I heard a voice.

"Now, I think I should wake up to this more often."

I yanked my shirt down and spun around, color flooding my cheeks. Oliver was lying on his back, grinning. I rolled my eyes and smoothed down my shirt.

When I looked at him again, he wasn't smiling. He was staring at me in a strange way, almost like when after he first kissed me, wanting more. Oliver's eyes were roving over my body more than my face and it was strange.

He raised his hand, pointing his index finger at me.

"You know what I think? I think I should wake up to this more often!"

He stared at me. I didn't reply in words or facial expression. I walked over to my dresser, taking my brush and running it through my hair. I looked at myself in my full-length mirror.

I heard him slide out of bed.

His arms snaked around my waist. He looked at himself over my shoulder. Oliver kissed my neck gently. I pulled away from him, grinning.

I pushed him away from me playfully and he stumbled back into my bed, pulling the cover around himself quickly, snuggling into the warmth. They way he did that made me want to do the same. I shook my head at the thought.

"C'mon, Oliver, get up," I said, still looking at myself in the mirror.

He groaned and burrowed deeper into the layers of cloth. "Why?!"

"We have to go practice!"

"You're sounding like _me_!" he said, thinking that that would scare me and I would change my mind.

"We're going to lose the match," I said threateningly.

He voice came muffled under the covers, "I. Don't. Care."

I sighed. "Oliver Wood, get your ass out of bed, _NOW_!"

No response. I let out a loud noise of frustration. I put my hands on my hips, walking a step closer to my bed.

"Oliver Wood, get up now or…or I'll never kiss you again."

That brought a reaction. The blankets shot up, Oliver jack-knifing to sit up, his hair disheveled.

"You wouldn't _dare_," he said, his eyes thin slits. My eyes widened. I grinned.

"_Oh, wouldn't I_?" I said back louder. I turned back to my mirror, leaving him staring at my back. When he saw that I wouldn't take back my threat, I heard him groan in frustration, the weight of him crashing back down into the bed. "Fine! Fine!"

I grinned. I won. YES! I turned and skipped over to him, jumping onto the bed beside him. My chest was over his and I smiled inches away from his face, kissing him gently.

When I pulled back, his eyes were closed and his hand resting on my waist.

I patted his chest with my hand, sitting up.

"Now, c'mon, let's go!"

I sounded more demanding now. Oliver sat up. "You're a hard bargainer, you know that?"

I smiled back at him.

---> On the Pitch:

"Let's go everyone! We have a match today!"

Everyone was a little tired and still a tad sore from yesterday's practice. George had missed a few Bludgers and Oliver was getting impatient.

"We have a match today!" Alicia yelled, echoing Oliver. He smiled over his shoulder at me. I grinned back and Alicia tossed me the Quaffle. I was paying attention, but not really.

We only had about half an hour until Slytherin showed up and the stands began to fill and Madame Hooch yelled at us to get off the pitch.

Harry was still a little off and apparently, Lupin said something to him that he didn't like very much.

Before I knew it, I saw Slytherin below us and I had a sinking feeling of Déjà vu again.

Madame Hooch stepped out onto the field, yelling, as predicted, for us to get off the pitch. I swear I was psychic or something!

We all landed and we were ready to start the match. Madame Hooch yelled a few things about a clean match and I exchanged quick glances with both Oliver and Flint.

Suddenly, the Quaffle and the other balls were out. Alicia and I both dived for the Quaffle and so was Montague.

Alicia seemed like she was getting close to the Quaffle, so I let her have it. When Montague went after her, Flint shouted at him and gave him a bad look. Hmmm…. Interesting.

While Montague and Flint had their eyes on Alicia and I, I saw that Oliver had his work cut out for him. He was right that Syltherin's team would step up a notch to win this match. And they did.

Oliver was catching Quaffles left and right, panting. I didn't smile at him so as to lose his concentration. Alicia tossed me the Quaffle and I almost dropped it; almost.

I went towards the goal posts with Flint and Montague behind me. They were close, but not too close for comfort. It felt like Flint was holding Montague back, as well as himself. I heard them arguing behind me.

Draco Malfoy, who had replaced Terrence Higgs, a Slytherin seeker back in the day, was carefully following Harry. I'd met Terrence before Hogwarts and actually had a crush on him. But that was before Oliver and before I found out what House he was in. I was actually sad when Terrence graduated.

I saw Montague come closer to me and I saw him speed past me. He glared at me and I tried to ignore it.

I felt a sudden pressure against my side and felt a rush of déjà vu and adrenaline rush through me. Montague was attempting to dislodge me from my broom. I heard someone yell to me and I didn't recognize the voice.

I was getting closer to the goal posts and Montague wasn't leaving my alone. Flint came to the other side of Montague, away from me and he was yelling at him. Montague wouldn't look at him. Flint was getting agitated.

Suddenly, as I was distracted, Montague threw all of his strength at me. With only one hand on my broom, I, obviously, slid off. Although concerned with my own safety, I didn't let go of the Quaffle.

Being a Slytherin, and a Montague, Montague, instead of crushing my fingers, making me fall and taking the Quaffle with me, he flew beside me, trying to wrench the Quaffle from my cold, lifeless fingers. I glared at him and kicked him in the knee.

I knew I was in a life/death situation, but I _had _to laugh. Montague glared and lunged at me again.

Flint flew near him, staring angrily, "MONTAGUE!!"

He then saw me. I saw his face go cold and his expression change. His eyes went softer and he gulped. "Sorry, Katie!" he called.

I smoldered. I was still hanging in the air, helpless, the lone Gryffindor Chaser against two Slytherins. Where the hell and Alicia?!

If I wanted to get back on my broom, I was going to have to let go of the Quaffle. Flint stared at me and I regretted the instant that I realized that he was my last hope for not letting Oliver down.

I whined to myself and Montague flew away, towards Alicia who was on the other side of the pitch, battling it out and trying to escape the Bludgers the Slytherin beaters were throwing at her.

Flint stared at me. I sighed. "Can I trust you, Flint?"

He raised his eyebrow. I grumbled to myself. "I really regret this…" he stared at me, "Hold this for a second."

I tossed him the Quaffle. I heard Lee Jordan yelling through the speaks: "What's _this_?! Katie Bell of Gryffindor has just passed the Quaffle to captain of Slytherin, Marcus Flint!"

I saw Oliver's head turn. When I got back on my broom, Flint handed the Quaffle back to me without me asking. I looked at him with real respect now.

Lee yelled again: "Flint passes the Quaffle back to Bell, what _will_ happen next?!"

I smiled; we were probably driving Madame Hooch crazy. I looked at Flint.

"Montague cheated, so I'm correcting this all again. Fair's fair only this once. Don't expect it again," he said, it looked like he regretted it. "I told Montague and the others not to go near you."

"Why?"

He looked at me. "Later."

I had lost enough time. Without a second glance towards him or anyone else, I went toward the goal posts and scored. Seconds later, I turned my broom back towards Gryffindor's goals.

I saw Oliver go too far away from the goals. I muttered under my breath, "_What _are you doing?!"

Within moments, I saw a Bludger speed past Alicia, hitting Oliver in the side. He fell from his broom.

On the other side of the pitch and helplessly watching, it looked like he fell forever. I felt paralyzed and the first thought in my mind was, "please don't let him die."

His body hit the ground with a muted thud. I felt sick and I couldn't tear my eyes away. At the same time Madame Hooch blew her whistle and Lee Jordan screamed, "And Harry Potter has the Snitch!"

Neither who acted knew what the other was saying. Madame Hooch flew over to Oliver, who weakly sat up on the grass.

The rest of the team flew over and Alicia took control.

"Gryffindor! Over here, yes, I know, George, we won, I know, all right, but, just, stop, Wood is hurt, go relax! You, too, Katie, he'll be all right."

I nodded but I didn't really believe her. The rest of the team, against their wills, went to the locker rooms. I stayed on the pitch. Madame Hooch had Oliver on his feet, and, according to her, he had broken no bones. A miracle, I think.

When I asked her about it, she smiled at me weakly and said, "Ms. Bell, do you think we professors are oblivious to the fact that Quidditch is a dangerous sport? Of _course _we bewitched the pitch! If any player falls from their broom, time and gravity both slow to minimize impact. We wouldn't want our students getting hurt."

No wonder Oliver fell forever and it felt like I had, too, when I fell that one time with Flint.

"Now," Madame Hooch said, "Ms. Bell, if you'd be so kind as to escort Mr. Wood to the Hospital Wing…"

She handed him to me, dropping his arm around my shoulders, like he couldn't stand. He pretended to limp until we were out of seeing distance of the professor. Then he stood straight up and walked beside me.

"Good thing you're all right, captain," I said, still a little unnerved. He smiled and glided his arm around my waist.

"Me too, but what was that with Flint?" he asked.

I shrugged. "I'm not sure."

---->After the Match:

Oliver had been taken up to the Hospital Wing for a while so that Madame Pomfrey could look at his "wounds". She let him go after a while.

"You be careful out there, Mr. Wood! Quidditch is a very dangerous game! All I need is you comin' in here with a broken arm or such and abandon your teammates while you get healed!" she had said, flustered. Oliver smiled at me while she had said that.

I smiled back at him uneasily. I really wasn't sure how much he was hurt. He didn't lead on that he was, but I knew different. Pomfrey had a habit of keeping students in the Hospital Wing even though she didn't need to.

He came with me back to my room. When I closed the door behind me, he was in the middle of the room.

"You're not hurt that badly, are you?"

He looked at me softly. He sighed. "You really want to know?"

When I didn't reply, he pulled his shirt off. I stepped closer to him and could see bruises on his back and left arm. The professors may have bewitched the field, but that didn't help Oliver any.

When I touched his shoulder, he winced and involuntarily pulled away. I took a step back and frowned.

"You don't usually let on that something hurts…"

He shrugged and smirked. "You know me too well."

He turned around and I crossed my arms across my chest. I took a deep breath and stared at him. His chest and the muscles in his stomach were tight. Oliver saw me staring at him and when I met his eyes, I blushed.

He smiled at me and put his hands on the edges of my shoulders, rubbing my skin through my shirt. My arms fell limply to my sides. Oliver pulled me to him gently. My hands slid up his chest slowly, going around his neck.

He pulled me against him and my cheek was on his warm chest. I closed my eyes and he kissed the top of my head. He pulled back slightly, leaning down. He kissed me and I sighed.

He leaned down and kissed my neck gently. He knew that I liked that. I ran my hands down his chest and around his slender waist. He stared down at me, meeting my eyes for a moment before kissing me.

I heard footsteps outside the door and we froze.

"I mean it, Alicia, I love you," I heard George say. The footsteps stopped.

"I know, George."

There was silence for a few seconds and I assumed they were kissing.

"And, I wanted to say something else. I know this isn't the perfect sort of relationship and all, but I really care about you. I mean, I was watching Katie and Oliver the other day, and I saw something. No matter how obsessive Oliver is about Quidditch, he still puts Katie first because he loves her and she's his first priority. And then I saw that it went the same for me. I really love you, Alicia."

Silence again. I stared at Oliver. How quickly we had been pulled into the conversation.

Oliver reached for his shirt and slipped it on. I was somewhat disappointed, though. Just then, the door opened and Alicia stepped inside, George behind her.

Oliver smiled down at me. "Well, I'd better go."

I nodded. He leaned down and kissed me. He lips were next to my ear as he whispered, "I love you."

I closed my eyes and smiled. I never got tired of hearing him say that and mean it.

I watched him leave and Alicia and George said goodnight. We talked about Oliver's condition after his fall and the way George looked at Alicia and how Flint reacted and everything else under the night sky.

As I was falling asleep, my bed seemed lonelier without Oliver there with me. But I was all right with that. In fact, I had more room to sprawl out. I tucked to covers closer in around me and closed my eyes.

I had tried to avoid it all day, but I kept thinking about what Flint did, and how somewhat decent it was. Tomorrow the rest of the students were coming back and after that, classes started again.

And for the first time in days, I hadn't thought about my father in 24 hours.

* * *

ALl right, I know it took forever, but I've been under a LOT of stress lately. Ger. Sorry it was so short and crappy.....I just HAD to update soon....it was driving me CRAZY!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lia06: Lol yes, Oliver is great. UNLIKE those evil boys in the world, one of whom you already know! ;-)

mello80: Lol good resolutions!

IhopeForAnarchy: Oh….my…goodness! SOMEONE's a TAD hyper!! WOW! Anyways, yeah, twist, I know, ger. Anyhow, I hope your band did very well on New years!! Hmmm! Friend/crush, eh????

Marie: Thank you! Happy New Year to you, too!

Kelsey: Lol, yes, poor poor Waldo. Stupid scrolls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GAHH!!!!!!!!!

Kathy: I thought the Lupin thing would be a good edition, I'm glad that you think so, too! Oliver's very…..unpredictable…

Pia O'Leary: Oh no, the cycling thing is all done with. Hopefully no more problems, but if there are, there will be no repetition at all. Thank you so much for the tip!

Pokethepenguin01 (ALEX)- Alex, my goodness! You are just the sweetest thing!!! Yeah, I like the way she acted, too. It just wouldn't be right if Oliver was all controlling (which he usually WOULDN'T be) and if she went along with it…Yes, emotion and sadness is indeed a very nasty thing…..But it shall get better as time goes along. Hopefully I can update as quickly as I want to, between practices and extra super hard homework, I can't find the time :-( Thank you for your review!!


	4. Talking With Flint and his Rules

I woke up cold and I pulled my blanket around me. I looked across the room and Alicia was gone. There was a note on the door for me. I groaned and forced myself to get up, taking my quilt with me. I slowly made my way to the door to read the note.

Being so early in the morning, I couldn't read that well and the only way I could read was with my face a good inch away from the paper.

_"Katie,_

_Went down to breakfast, don't forget, we have the magical donuts!_

_Alicia."_

Informative. I sighed, still staring at the note, my eyes scrunched up. Suddenly, the door opened. The wood smashed against my face. I pushed away from the door, landing on my butt on the floor. I glared up angrily. George…no….Fred…no, George stared at me.

He blushed. "Oh-OH! I'm sorry! Here, let me help you!"

He pulled me to my feet. "Gosh, are you okay?"

I nodded. "Sure, I'm alright."

George looked around the room. "Alicia's down at breakfast?"

I nodded, saying she was. George stared at me before leaving. Just as he walked through the doorway, he turned around; I was already closing the door.

"You know, Katie," he said, I stopped, "I don't think I've ever seen Wood this happy before."

I smiled. "Thanks, George."

He left and I changed clothes. I had a donut and sat on my bed. I had dreamed something that night, but I hadn't been able to remember it. It had involved Flint and Oliver and Cedric. I hadn't remembered how they were connected.

Then I remembered Flint, and about what he had done yesterday, at the match, when he helped me. I knew I had to talk to him, but I didn't really want to.

I got up and left my room, not sure what I was going to do. A few minutes later, I found myself near the Slytherin Dormitory.

_Damn! Maybe if I run away and try not to make any sudden movements, they _WON'T_ see me!_

I turned around.

"Bell! What are _you_ doing here?" a voice sneered from behind me.

_Damn! I've been spotted!_

I turned around. Malfoy and his usual groupies.

"Is Flint around?" I asked assertively. Malfoy nodded, his eyes slitting.

"Does _someone _have a date with the Slytherin Quidditch captain! You _know _Wood won't like that any…"

I opened my mouth. "Malfoy, leave," a voice that was not mine said.

I saw someone in the shadows just inside the door of the Slytherin house door. Malfoy gulped, as did his groupies.

Draco Malfoy, a typical Slytherin, intimidated by Flint, 'slithered' back into his house dormitory. The door closed behind him and the other boys.

Flint stepped forward, his hands clasped behind his back. Flint looked plain that day, wearing jeans and a tight black tee shirt, looking semi-normal.

He stepped towards me, his face emotionless. "Hello," he said, his voice flat. " I see you found me"

"You're an easy person to find, Flint."

He began to walk past me, looking back at me, making me follow him down the steps.

I bit my lip and followed him. I wasn't sure where he was making me follow him to.

"I assume this is all about the other day? At the match?" he asked, not turning around.

I nodded but I realized that he couldn't see me. "Yes," I added.

"And you're wondering, what, exactly?" he asked me, turning around slightly. I had to think about this.

"Why you had Montague stay away from the Chasers. And why you helped me."

He nodded. "Well," he said, running a hand through his hair, "I knew that, because that was the last match, that everyone would step it up- I even told them to- but I knew that Montague would take it too far and do something stupid.

"I told him and everyone else to play as they normally would, but to be cautious. I saw the way Wood looked at me after I challenged you and I didn't want to see that face again. I knew that if I let my team to anything to the Chasers, especially you, I'd be getting it from Wood. I had to tell them to stay away from BOTH Chasers instead of you. If I said Chasers in general, they would never suspect I was looking out for you."

I stared at him. I blinked. "Looking out for me?"

He averted his eyes. He sighed. "I guess I'd better let you in on one of the Quidditch secrets…. The thing is, at the beginning of the year, when Captains are chosen, if there are new ones, we all meet and agree on certain things. One of the main rules is that if one of the players, most specifically the Captains, have a girlfriend on their team, the opposing team had better not mess with them just to screw up the Captain."

I stared. "I don't get it."

"Well," Flint said, "Basically _everyone _knows that you and Wood are dating. If I told my team to go after you to screw up Wood and get him distracted, that's violating of the rules. Sometimes they ignore my commands, so I told them to just be careful about the Chasers…"

"So, all this was about not wanting to get on Wood's bad side?"

Flint stopped and took a breath. "Not exactly. It wasn't _all_ about Wood. I knew that you'd been having a rough time, with your dad and all, and I knew that if I had been in that situation, I wouldn't have wanted to deal with me. But, on the topic of Wood, he really _does _take being your boyfriend very seriously. At your practices and at the matches, I've noticed that no matter what he's doing, he's always keeping an eye on you, making sure you're okay."

I nodded, remembering all the times I thought about that. "He does tend to be a little over protective."

"Exactly, so if he saw that we were messing with you, even if not on purpose, he'd say that we were violating the rules…"

I was staring again. "Okay…all right. So, even when you guys cheat, that's not against the rules?"

He looked at me. "It's somewhat required of Slytherin…tradition, I guess. It's all in a different category than the rules we devise. Does that make any sense?"

I shrugged. "Sure, I guess…"

"You know, Katie, just because I'm in Slytherin doesn't mean that I'm a bad guy. The sorting hat did that and I just went along with it, just like everyone else. Just because I'm in a certain House doesn't mean that I act a certain way."

I was still staring. "Right."

Flint sighed. "So, that's it? No more questions?"

I nodded. "I don't think so…."

"All right. I'll be seeing you around then."

"Okay…"

And with that, he was gone. Okay…that solved a lot. I felt a little strange, knowing the rules and why Flint helped me. He wasn't a bad guy, really, just misguided….

I stood there, looking around silently.

I went back to the Gryffindor Common Room.

At The Common Room:

I was outside the door, when I heard two people talking: Oliver and Fred.

I stepped closer to listen without going in.

"You know, eavesdropping is illegal in some countries…" the Fat lady said to me.

I glared at her. "You know, harassing someone is illegal in ALL countries!" I shot back at her. Then she was silent.

I went back to listening to Fred and Oliver.

"Do you think I should ask her out?" one said.

"Of course! What have you got to lose!" said the other.

"But what about Katie?"

"What about her?"

"How will she feel about this?"

"Oh, she'll be fine with it! Or, she'd better be! She _SHOULD _be happy for you!"

"I guess you're right…..but….shouldn't I check and make sure that she's okay with it?"

"No! This is your life and she doesn't control it. Just ask the girl out!"

"But….I don't know…."

"Just do it!"

I whispered the password to the Fat Lady and the portrait swung open. Fred and Oliver sat on different couches, with their backs to me. Oliver glanced over his shoulder, smiling nervously.

"Hi, you," he said, trying to avoid the fact of what he and Fred were talking about.

Fred hung his head, looking at the ground. Oliver stood up, his eyes still on me. He walked around the couch and over to me, still smiling.

When he reached me, he slid one hand on my waist and kissed me. I kissed him back lightly, but I was still wondering about his and Fred's conversation. They both looked so guilty.

"Katie, don't you think that if Fred liked someone, that he should ask her out?"

OH! Okay, good! For some reason I had been thinking that FRED was persuading OLIVER to ask someone out…..I guess not…

"Yes, of course…Fred? Who is she?"

Oliver grinned and Fred looked up. "You'd have no problem with it?"

"No, of course not! Why would I?"

He shrugged, smiling slightly. "You know her…."

"Do I?"

He nodded, grinning.

"Who is it!"

He was silent for a second. "Guess."

My smile fell and I stuck out my bottom lip. "Fred, you know that I have guessing games!"

"Just guess!"

"Fine, I don't know, um, Parvati?"

He shook his head. "Angelina…."

My eyes widened. I looked to Oliver for confirmation. He nodded. I looked back at Fred. "YES! FINALLY FRED!"

He grinned. "What?"

"I'm so happy that you're finally going to have a girlfriend! And I'm glad you caught onto the ABSURDLY subtle hints that Angie was throwing at you!"

He looked up. "What?"

"Okay, I guess not…Well, Angie's had a crush on you for about a year…!"

Fred looked at me, hopeful. "Really?"

I nodded. "Yes. And she's coming back tonight. Are you going to ask her then?"

He nodded at me. I smiled largely. Oliver slid his arm around my shoulders. Fred stood up. "Well, I'm off to figure out how I'm going to ask her out…."

And then he left the Common Room.

I turned to Oliver, shaking his arm off my shoulders. I stepped away from him. "Oliver, why didn't you ever tell me about 'the rules' "

He frowned. "What rules?"

I sighed; he was playing 'ignorant'. "The rules that you and Flint and the other Houses devise every year…"

"What are you talking about? There are no 'rules'…"

I stared at him. "C'mon, Oliver, I _know _about the rules."

"I don't know who you've been talking to, but….I've never heard of any 'rules'…."

I stared. Oliver didn't know about the rules? Then what was Flint talking about! Wait…. Flint had made those rules himself and made his team abide by them…

"Who've you been talking to, Katie?"

I shook my head. "No one. Forget I said anything….Never mind…." Maybe Flint wasn't as bad a guy as I made him out to be.

Oliver stared at me weirdly, like he was expecting me to say something. "Okay…."

I walked over to the couch. "Do you think Fred is really going to ask Angelina out today?"

He looked thoughtful. "Maybe, but he might hold back, seeing as it IS her first day back from vacation."

I nodded. "Understood."

The rest of the day proceeded onward blandly. Fred told Ange about my dad and, to her credit, she didn't say anything to me, she just looked at me knowingly.

I didn't see George and Alicia all day; I assumed they had run off somewhere. After dinner, Fred and Angie went back to Fred's room and I could hear them laughing as they went up the stairs.

I left dinner alone, Oliver had been talking to Cedric about the match that he missed while he was on vacation. On route to my room, I was distracted when I looked out one of the windows.

It was dark by then and the moonlight spilled silver glow over the grounds, the trees ominous. I stood just looking there, almost expecting to see something. I didn't.

A few Gryffindors lounged in the Common Room and no one noticed me as I passed. No one but Harry. He caught my eye as the portrait swung closed behind me. He stared at me and smiled warmly. It was a smile that had no pity in it about my dad or anything else in the world. I guess he of all people knew that I didn't want pity or sorrow.

When he smiled at me, he seemed to say that he understood and that he liked the shirt I was wearing. I climbed the stairs to the Girls' Dormitory, knowing that both Alicia and Angie would not be there.

I touched my hand to the doorknob and a slight shiver passed through my shoulders. I opened the door.

It was dark and I could not see a thing. I closed the door behind me. Lips touched mine. Hands, which connected to a body that I could not see, touched my waist, reassuring. I knew those lips. Something about the darkness made me feel safer. Lips left mine and touched my neck. I closed my eyes and sighed, my head tilting down. As my head tilted down slightly, I was surprised when my forehead came in contact with his shoulder.

He stepped closer to me and his strong arms were around my waist and back, my fingertips touching his shoulders. He held me tightly against him, his fingertips brushing over my back, comforting.

My chest tightened and I let out a long, shaky breath. His hands rubbed my back, one hand slipping under my shirt. His warm hand caressed the skin of my lower back. He touched my waist and back over and over again.

His touch was comforting to me, more comforting than any words or gestures. And he knew it. As he touched me, hand roaming over my back, I pressed my body against him and he leaned in, kissing my neck.

What made everything so much better was the fact that he loved me. He honestly did, or so I liked to think. Both his hands found mine and laced with my fingers. He touched the ring that Fred gave me, I still wore it, and one if his hands wandered up to my neck, passing over my shoulders.

His fingers touched the necklace he had given me himself, and I could feel him smile. He liked to know that I remembered him and still loved him.

I thought backwards a few days and I was starting to think it odd that I hadn't received anything from Mum about…well…anything. It was getting weird.

The illusion that Dad was dead was starting to fade. Now I was thinking that he was away on official business or something. It was better to think that than face the truth that he was really dead.

What scared me the most was that it was all starting to seem like a dream. Most frequently, you forget your dreams when you wake up. Now, I was beginning to fear waking up. Just a few days prior, I wanted so badly to wake up and get on with life. Now I was terrified to forget. I knew I wouldn't forget, but I felt like I was. If I didn't keep thinking about Dad, I'd forget him.

Maybe I'd make up some rules of my own about forgetting, like Flint's rules about Captains and their girlfriends….

* * *

Hey guys, I hope this chappie wasnt TOO tasteless!

Lia06: evil face towards Ben what's this guy's problem! I think Ben is PSYCHO! o0 NEVER go to psycho's houses! Bad things happen there…Thank you and stay safe from Ben, Senor Psychopath!

mello80: yeah, I haven't been updating as quickly as I would like, but, hey, what are you gonna do? Thanks!

Ihopeforanarchy: thank you TONS! Hey, lol, you stole that quote from Sex and The City, oh well. Lol. I thought it was rather boring, this chapter…

AllysonKat : I wonder what Flint's up to, too…..hmmm…Don't worry, nothings gonna happen.

IndependentLioness: Thank you very much!

Doodleflip: I know……it's a little confusing…

Kathy: I'm not really sure what is up with Flint, I just needed another character lol.

TooSweetWords: HA! That's exactly what I was wanting! MWHAHHA

Pokethepenguin01: HA! laughs at your blushing hehe warm feeling. I know, I wish Oliver was mine, too! Oh well, this is how I can express it all. Nothing is going on with Flint….don't worry, I just needed another character.

Gallon of Firewhiskey: Ha, the stress is okay, it pushes me to write more….


	5. Another Ordinary Day

Angelina and Fred had gone off to 'clean a broom closet' and Alicia and George had gone back to his room, leaving Oliver and I out on the stands.

"What do you think?"

I looked at him, I was spacing out. "I'm sorry?"

"What do you think?"

"What do I think of what?"

He shrugged. "About what you're thinking about…"

'What?"

Oliver shrugged and smiled. "I don't know."

I leaned backwards, letting the palms of my hands touch the seat behind me, and then my elbows rested there. Oliver turned himself so that his head fell in my lap. He smiled at me when I looked down at him.

"Do you think they're happy?" I asked him.

"Angelina and Fred?"

I nodded. "And George and Licia…"

He folded his hands in his lap, staring straight up into the sky. "I think so…I hope so…"

I tilted my head up. The sky looked so blue and I could only see one cloud. The wind blew crisp air softly. Behind me, thick dark clouds were forming.

"Katie?"

I didn't look at him. "Hmm?"

"What do you think it's like when you die?"

I sat there and didn't answer for a few minutes.

"I think it's the same feeling that you get when you fall asleep; drifting and heaviness."

"Do you still dream then?"

I nodded. "And some people even sleep walk…and sometimes those are the ghosts we see, I guess. I just like to think of that instead of other ideas."

"That makes sense…so you don't believe in the whole bright light at the end of the tunnel thing?"

I shook my head. "No, that's probably just a dream that dead people have."

"So, when we dream, how do we know we're not dead?"

I sat there, considering. "Well, because we wake up…and that's why we have to live every day like we're going to die that night…because we can…"

Oliver lay there, still staring at the clouds. "What do you think your da dreams of?"

I took a deep breath. Dad. "I really don't know."

He looked at me. "You know, Katie, if you ever need to talk, I'm here…"

This was getting too deep. I didn't want Oliver feeling guilty again… I smiled. "Except when you're obsessed with Quidditch! And that IS everyday!"

He sat up. "No, not ALL the time…."

I stared at him. "Yes, all the time."

He glared at me. "Fine."

I smiled down at him and he winked at me. I heard a loud bell ring. I looked down at Oliver. "Time for Potions, again."

His face fell and he sat up. "I hate Potions."

I shrugged. "I think anyone who isn't a Slytherin hates Potions…"

Oliver didn't say anything but he agreed with me. As we walked across the Quidditch Pitch, Oliver held out his hand to me and I took it. I looked up and the sky was darkening.

"We should get in before it-" it thundered, "storms…"

Oliver grinned at me. I stared at him. It started to sprinkle. I grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the castle. He held me back, pulling me towards him.

He pulled me against his body. "I'll get wet!" I whined. Oliver put his hand on my cheek, smiling. He leaned towards me, "I don't care," he whispered. He kissed my forehead and suddenly it was pouring.

I pulled away from him quickly, sprinting in the rain. We would be killed if we were caught skipping class, especially Potions. Oliver chased me across the pitch, keeping his distance.

I was tempted to stop and randomly dance in the rain, but I figured that would take time and if Oliver saw me dancing, he would never take me seriously ever again.

We got to Potions faster than I had thought, but still, Snape punished up.

"Five points from Gryffindor. If you wish to keep your grade, arrive on _time_."

Oliver smirked and shrugged in response. I, not so brave in front of Snape, lowered my head. Snape cleared his throat. Alicia, Angelina, George, and Fred took up the entire four-seater bench. No room for Oliver and I. Snape noticed that.

"In punishment for your tardiness, Ms. Bell, please sit with Mr. Flint. And, you, Mr. Wood, accompany Ms. Parkinson."

I sighed. It didn't bother me to be around Flint, it really didn't, but I didn't like the fact that it should. I took my seat next to Flint and he didn't acknowledge my presence.

We began class and groups of people began to talk. Oliver was arguing with Pansy about how much griffin saliva to add and Fred and George were talking about Weasley's Wizarding Whatevers. I wasn't really following their conversation. Flint turned to me.

"So, er, how've you been doing, Katie?" he asked, shyly.

"Fine, and yourself, Flint?"

He smiled, obviously more relaxed. "I've been doing good. I hear we have another match next week."

I nodded, adding two more drops of dragon blood into the cauldron in front of us. "I suppose we do."

It was quiet for a while, neither of us knowing what to say. I started thinking about my relationship with Oliver. I loved him, I really did, but for some reason, I started feeling like things were getting sort of…well…strange. Things seemed perfect. Too perfect. It was just… I don't know. Something was different. Something was sort of…missing.

I looked over at him and he saw me. The tips of his ears turned red and he blushed slightly, smiling innocently. That was the Oliver I loved. Yes, loved, although that scared the living daylights out of me sometimes.

The question was, if the time came, would I be happier not dating Oliver? The answer: probably not. But ever since Oliver and I started dating, things were just sort of different. But when I really thought about it, I wouldn't want to give Oliver up, not for anything. Even if things were too perfect, it's better that than have everything screwed up.

Flint was saying something to me, but I wasn't listening anymore. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw someone looking at me. It was Fred. He gave me sort of an apologetic look. I turned away from him.

What the hell was going on with me? I love Oliver, there, that's it! No more inconsistent, paradoxical (ohh big word!) thinking!

The cauldron in front of me started to bubble and I had to put my mind to use on Potions. Flint looked at me. "You okay, Bell?"

I shrugged.

"You look like your mind's going ten million miles a second…Anything wrong?"

I didn't answer.

Flint sighed. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were thinking about Wood."

I shot him a glare.

He shrugged. "Well, you don't look sad, so you're not thinking about your dad. What else would you be thinking about?"

I let out a long breath. "Potions, perhaps? I _do _need to get my marks up."

Flint shook his head. "Who're you kidding? You're the best at Potions in Gryffindor."

Was that a compliment? Why should I care? I didn't. Good.

The bell rang. End of Potions. Yay! I grabbed my bag and headed for the door. Someone grabbed my arm, gently, pulling me back. I turned and Flint stood there, his hands shoved in his pockets, looking embarrassed.

"Kate, before you go…I just wanted to say…well…be careful…you know?"

"Careful of what?" Now I was intrigued.

He shrugged. "Of…stuff…just be careful, okay?"

I nodded. Why was he being so nice to me? It was about 'the rules' anymore. That mainly had to do with Quidditch and matches. What was going on now? Was Flint genuinely afraid for my safety and feelings? Answer: I have no idea.

I left the Dungeons and made my way up to the Common Room. It seemed like all my friends had disappeared. I noticed Oliver talking to Cedric Diggory in the hallway, Oliver's back to me. Honestly, this was getting pretty weird. There were too many guys in my life: Oliver, Fred, George, Flint, Diggory…was the list ever going to end? I thought it odd that Flint and Diggory had ended up on my list. Although they were minor characters in the movie of my life, there WERE involved, I had to admit that.

Cedric looked at me and Oliver followed his gaze. When I smiled at him, he didn't return it. Bloody Hell. Something was up. I remembered a while ago, when Cedric had thought about dating Cho Chang. I forgot if they had ever dated…damn.

Oliver turned back to Cedric. They talked some more and I went up to the Common Room. I went up to my room and saw something lying on my bed. It was a note. The handwriting didn't look familiar, but it looked rushed, it could be anyone. I sat down on my bed and read it.

'_Katie, _

_Meet me in the Astronomy Tower at 9 o'clock. It's important.'_

That was it. What the hell did that mean and who was it! I sighed. I would just have to wait until 9 to figure it out. Perhaps it was Oliver, trying to be mysterious. Or maybe it was Fred, wanting to tell me about something. I really didn't know. I hated not knowing.

It was three o'clock and Potions had been my last class. What can I do until 9? I sighed. I dropped the note and hung myself over the side of my bed. I pushed aside old robes and a few shoeboxes full of memories to find what I wanted. My muggle cd player.

Hey, I liked what I liked! I put on the headphones and turned it on, lying back on my bed, closing my eyes. I think I fell asleep because the next think I knew, the music stopped because the batteries had died and the clock said 8:30 pm. I sat up and felt a headache coming on.

This was convenient, waking up half an hour before I was supposed to meet someone. WHO THE BLOODY HELL WAS I MEETING?

I sighed inwardly. Today was just another day, just another ordinary day.

* * *

Yeah so there, I hope you like it because I really dont.

Sorry this chapter sucks….I just got a new review and it reminded me that I have to keep this going. Hehe I forgot. And I figured I might as well start it up again before school rots my brain!

Everyone thank Laceisoverrated, that's the person who reviewed and reminded me that I have to right. Also they promised to love me forever and ever, and hey, how can I pass up free love? Thank other reviewers!


	6. A Night At The Astronomy Tower

I sighed, nine o'clock. When I left my room, George and Harry were in the Common Room, staring at me. George looked up at me.

"How nice of you to join us, Ms. Bell. Alicia tells us that you were sleeping," he said playfully.

"Yes, actually I was."

I started toward the door. George frowned. "Don't tell me you're leaving!"

I said over my shoulder, "Actually, I am. I have to go meet someone."

Harry looked at George. "Where is everyone going?"

George shrugged. I left the Common Room and stepped outside. Woah! What was I doing! Leaving the Common Room after dark! Did I _WANT _to get detention! What was I thinking!

I went back inside and asked Harry if I could borrow his invisibility cloak. He gave it to me after a few minutes of bickering. George called after me to be careful.

I made my way up to the Astronomy Tower and when I got there, no one was there. I looked around. Of course no one was there. They weren't as stupid as I was to leave the Common Room without some sort of concealment.

I stood there and I took off the cloak. If someone were already here, they wouldn't know that I was.

"I thought you weren't going to show up." A voice said.

I didn't panic. I swallowed. "I had some problems getting out of the Common Room."

"I'm glad you came."

Then I saw him. He was standing in the shadows, his arms crossed over his chest, his hair slightly falling into his eyes. He took a step into the light. I blinked. I never imagined being in the Astronomy Tower with none other than Marcus Flint on a dark night.

I looked at him. "What did you want, Flint?"

He sighed, looking uneasy. "Today I said you should be careful. You have no idea how right I am…"

I just looked at him. What the bloody hell did he want?

He sighed again. "Katie, you know how Dumbledore told you that you were on "The List" possibly?"

"How did you know about that?"

"I just do. Anyways, listen, you _are_ on the list. I know someone who knows someone who's a death eater and I got word that, well…you might be next."

"I know. All I know is what happened. But it's been about a month, you'd think if he was going to do it, he would have already."

He shrugged, running a hand through his hair. He paced in a tight circle. "I don't know. I just don't know. I don't get it either, that's why I'm so worried. If this had been Potter, it would have been different, but it's you-" he looked at me, and stopped. He shook his head and kept pacing. "I can't figure it out. WHY would he possibly want to kill you?"

I sighed. "I know. It's because I know what he's trying to do." I frowned. "And so do you, apparently, so why aren't you on the list?" I demanded.

"Because you-know-who trusts my family. He doesn't consider them a threat."

I swallowed. "Was all this, getting me to come here, just to tell me that I'm on the list?"

Flint stopped walking. "Sort of. I wanted to tell you that and to hopefully get you to lie low for a while… I don't want to see you getting hurt, let alone killed."

I frowned. "And why do _you_ care? You're a Slytherin and you've never even known me!"

He shrugged. "I know. And, the Rules don't apply here, but I still feel protective over you. I mean, I'd like to have the peace of mind to know that Oliver Wood is keeping an eye out for my girl. But still, I would have done this for anyone. Even Potter. If I know something that could get someone killed, I'd like them to know about it. Can you imagine the guilt I'd feel if someone dies and I could have warned them?"

I stared at him. Flint was actually a pretty decent guy. But still… "This is all sort of pointless. Perhaps I shouldn't have even been told. Now I'm just going to think about every day and think of it as my last, because it very well could be. If you-know-who wants to kill someone, he won't hesitate and if he wants to kill them, he won't change his mind or forget. So, basically, right now, I'm as good as dead."

Flint winced. "Don't say that. Please…"

"Why not?"

He looked guilty. "I don't you thinking that you're good as dead. You know, You-Know-Who wanted to kill Potter…but he didn't…and he hasn't been able to."

I shrugged. "But I'm not Harry."

He sighed. "Exactly…"

I stood there, suddenly cold. It was the middle of spring, but I was cold. A breeze was sweeping by me but I realized I was inside, and the draft hadn't hit me in the last fifteen minutes I had been standing there…

No. I was too paranoid. Before all this, I knew that I would be possibly targeted to be killed but it hadn't really sunk home. Dad's death was, at the time, all I could think about. Now, with Flint telling me again, it seemed more real. More possible. Damn him. Now I was probably going to go back up to my room and cry, being terrified of every little noise, thinking it was someone coming to kill me.

I could go to Oliver. I know he would appreciate it, but I couldn't tell him what was going on. He'd figure it out and I didn't want him on "the list", too. I couldn't stand risking Fred either. Any of my friends. The only people who knew about this were Flint, Dumbledore, and I. I was only one who wasn't safe. It wasn't comforting.

"I know this is disturbing to you…Can I do anything? I wish I could help…"

I shook my head. I felt numb. Not a sad sort of numb, but it's like when someone tells you the sky is falling and you don't believe them; you don't have to, the sky's never fallen before. But then you find out the sky IS falling, then you begin to wonder…

"Katie, honestly, is there anything I can do?"

I shook my head again. "Not unless you can guarantee me I won't be killed."

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I wish I could."

I shrugged, putting my hands in the back pockets of my jeans.

"Well, you'd better go…wouldn't want you to get caught…" he said.

I nodded, picking up the invisibility cloak up off the floor, forgetting I had even dropped it. I put it around my shoulders, watching my body disappear below me. I sort of smiled. "I wish I could just disappear like this."

Flint nodded. "I feel like that sometimes, too. I know how you're feeling."

He didn't know. His father didn't die. He wasn't going to be killed. I just nodded. I turned around to go but he cleared his throat, making me turn back to him. He stood before me awkwardly. I looked at him. Flint. It took me a second to remember his first name, I don't think I've ever used it.

"Well…thanks…. Marcus…" I said slowly, hesitantly. He smiled warmly at me, a gesture I'm sure I had never seen. He lowered his head slowly, almost bowing. When he looked back up at me, I almost thought I had made a friend.

He took my hand in his and I wondered why he did it. Then I realized that there was something in his had, something that he was transferring into my own. He let go of my hand and I looked down. It was a necklace. There was a ring on it. It looked like glass, but I knew it was stronger. There was one solid color, but it began to change. White into Green.

"It's sort of like a Remembrall, it turns different colors, only this ring turns a certain color if you're in trouble. I have the other ring, and it you're in any sort of trouble mine will turn black and let me know. Or, if you rub yours, it'll let me know if you're in trouble. You can keep it on the necklace if you'd like, but it'd be better if you wore it on your finger, just in case your hands are bound…"

I nodded. I didn't fight him on this. He may be a Slytherin and although I wasn't sure about trusting him, I wasn't going to fight my only chance at survival if I was taken away somewhere. I took the ring off the necklace and handed it back to him. I slid the ring on my hand, Fred's ring on my other. Oliver's necklace around my neck. My, Katie, what a collection you've been gathering!

I looked at the ring. Green fused into Red. I almost wondered if the colors meant anything, like a Muggle Mood Ring.

I looked at Flint. He nodded "Lupin…Um, you should know, this wasn't my idea… it was Lupin's…and Dumbledore's…they wanted you to have it. Dumbledore told me about all this. He said it'd be better if I knew instead of Wood. He knew I wouldn't do anything rash to keep you safe. So," he said, "if the ring turns a certain color, this person is trying to contact you or talk to you. You will contact them in any means possible, right away. If the ring is two different colors, then two people are thinking about you, no need to panic. Only if the ring is ONE, SOLID color do you need to contact them. If the ring is half BLACK and half another color, that person is in trouble. So, Red is for Lupin, Yellow is for Dumbledore, Black is, obviously, trouble, Green is for yours truly, White is nothing, and…and blue is for…for your dad."

He looked at me. I spoke. "How is that possible?"

Flint shrugged. "Dumbledore," he explained, "So, all clear?"

I nodded. "I guess."

I had a lifeline. If I were in ANY sort of trouble, Dumbledore, Lupin, and/or Flint would come to my rescue. I figure that Dumbledore would be the first, then Flint, then Lupin (it'd take him a while to get there). I still didn't see how Dad fit into all of this. Speaking of which, I looked down at my ring. It was green and white…Flint. I looked up at him.

"I still don't understand why you're being so nice to me."

He shrugged. "I was a bad guy, you just never gave me a chance. I'll admit that everything related to Quidditch is just a thing that I have to do. I'm in Slytherin. I have to be mean if I want something done. Anyways, if you die, I'd feel to guilty about beating Wood at Quidditch all the time."

He winked at me. I smiled back. His joke had made my feel better. "I'll try."

I turned, actually ready to go and he let me. I made it to the stairs and I glanced back. Flint was gone. I left the Astronomy Tower wondering if I trusted Flint to come to my rescue. He was acting so strangely. Then again, I had never given him a chance to prove who he was.

I pulled the hood of the cloak over my head, hoping nothing was showing. When I left the Tower, I wondered what time it was. I glanced at my watch. 10:45. Wow. It was that late….Oh crap…how the bloody hell was I supposed to get into the Common Room without making any noise!

I heard something behind me. I turned. Maybe I had just imagined it. Maybe not. It was hard to tell what something was when you're paranoid. I was paranoid. I kept walking.

I heard it again…. it sounded like footsteps…bloody hell…

I kept walking. The sound started again. I quickened my pace. The sound got louder. Wait…this could just be Fred trying to scare me. I turned around quickly, almost smiling. No one was there. Maybe it wasn't Fred after all. I took a deep shaky breath, turning around.

Was it possible that Flint had lured me to the Astronomy Tower, come across as my friend, and then tricked me, sending someone to kill me just after I left! I looked down at my ring. White…no…yeah, white….no….was it just me or was it beginning to turn black….No, it was just me, definitely…I hope so…Oh bloody hell!

I walked faster and the noise continued. I was getting tired of being scared. The footsteps were in tune with mine, but all of a sudden they sped up. So did my heart and breathing. I took one more step and something grabbed me. Something slammed me against the wall, my back and shoulders hitting first. I thought of screaming, but nothing came. Hands around my shoulders tightened and then one let go, ripping the hood off my head. The hands loosened.

"Katie."

I stared, terrified beyond belief.

"You shouldn't be out here this late."

I stared at the empty space in front of me. Then, I heard the person mumble and all of a sudden, there was a person in front of me. I stared through the darkness, straining. Oh no….

Cedric Diggory.

I took a deep breath. He frowned.

"What're you doing out here?"

I opened my mouth to say something- I didn't know what…but he stopped me.

"Don't tell me something I know is a lie…"

I blinked and he sighed, almost angry.

"I _SAW_ you, Katie! I saw you in the Tower with someone! I won't guess who it is. I don't have to."

Oh

Bloody

Hell

You've

Got

To

Be

KIDDING!

I didn't say anything. Cedric sighed again, taking a step back. "I didn't think you'd be like that, Katie. I hoped you wouldn't be."

"Cedric, you don't under-"

"No, I DO understand! Wood isn't good enough for you? You had to go and find someone else! He LOVED you, Katie! He actually _loved _you. Don't you understand that? I just don't get you! I'm also wondering who you were in the Tower _with_."

"Cedric, you really don't under-"

"NO! I've heard every excuse, Katie! What are you going to say? That you got lost? That you were told to meet someone there!"

Well, actually that WAS true! Cedric was starting to get me angry. He was assuming too much.

"Cedric, just let me-"

"No, Katie," he said calmly, "You'd better get to your Common Room. 15 points from Gryffindor."

And then he left. I sighed loudly, pulling the hood over my head again. I hoped it hadn't ripped. I went back to the Common Room and it was deserted. I thought about going up to my room, but I didn't.

I climbed the stairs to the Boys' Dormitory and completely passed Oliver, Fred, and George's room. I knocked on the door next to it, waiting for an answer. Someone with red hair answered. A Weasley. Ron Weasley to be precise. He stared at me, eyes large. I handed him the cloak. "Give this to Harry, please, Ron."

He nodded. I saw Harry in the dark room behind Ron. They had been sleeping. I glanced in at Harry. "Thanks." He nodded. I think if anyone in the world had understood my predicament, Harry did. He had lost parents and he was constantly in danger. If someone were to write a book about his life, it'd be a best seller. Can you imagine that? How entertaining. Harry Potter and The Magical Donuts. I like that. Harry Potter's Guide To Avoiding Death. Harry Potter Meets The Awkward Teenage World: A Guide To Survival. Imagine that….

I left the Boys' Dormitory and went to my room. I had the feeling Alicia and Angelina would pounce on me when I got in and demand to know where I was. Dumbledore, I would tell them, I was seeing him. Oh and of course that's believable…seeing Dumbledore at 9 at night…maybe they'll buy it.

I opened my door and nothing happened. I stumbled over to my bed, falling onto it, crushing something. It was paper. It wasn't Flint's note, I had burned that, but it was something else. I strained my eyes to look at it. It was something from Fred. Ah, I'll read it tomorrow.

I rolled over and fell asleep. That was enough for the night. I looked down at my ring, just wondering what color it was. It was white. I stared at it for a while and thought it began to turn blue. Blue. Dad. Blue and white…I smiled. Somehow something that should have made me cry was comforting. I liked it. I almost rubbed the ring, but I remember that that might mean trouble to someone. I restrained from it. I had to. But I just stared at it. Blue fused into green and then into red and then into blue again…then white… I think it's broken…. no…maybe not…. suddenly it was solid red. Blood red. Lupin. I groaned silently. I remembered. "Only if the ring is ONE, SOLID color do you need to contact them." And then "You will contact them in any means possible, right away." This had better be good Lupin!

I drug myself down to the common room and flopped onto the couch, knowing his face would appear in the fire. I waited. My eyes drooped.

"Hello, Katie!" a cheerful voice said.

My eyes snapped open. "Hello, Professor."

His head smiled. "No need for that formal business! I hear young Mr. Lupin gave you that ring?"

I nodded. "He did. What did you want?"

Okay, screw the nice stuff, I was tired and scared and I just wanted to eat a donut and SLEEP!

"Oh nothing much, just to see how you were doing…to see if you got the ring…"

"Well, obviously it works because it turned red and I'm here. Lupin, can we make this short? I'm very tired."

He nodded. "Of course."

I smiled. "Is that it?"

Lupin nodded. "Goodnight, Ms. Bell. See you tomorrow morning! Or, should I say, THIS morning!"

I looked at my watch. 1:25 am. Ouch.

I got up. " 'Night, Lupin!"

"Goodnight, Katie."

I went up to my room and ACTUALLY fell asleep this time. Finally. I fell asleep wondering if I trusted Flint and wondering if I would die before I woke up. I also thought about Cedric. I really wanted to clear up what happened…but I couldn't. Not unless I wanted him dead, too. I was just going to have to explain to him in some way or another…somehow. If he had know it was Flint with me, all hell would break lose. A Hufflepuff finding a Slytherin and a Gryffindor alone in the Astronomy Tower…. wow…where did Ravenclaw come in? But no, it Cedric had known it was him…I just don't know what would have happened. I hoped I wouldn't have to find out. I know Flint wouldn't say anything and I knew that I wouldn't say anything…but…still…and…well… Oh screw this!

So, there I was, as good as dead. And somehow I had a strange feeling- almost like I was cheating on Oliver. Lying to him. Well, I guess what he doesn't know won't hurt him. And it for sure won't kill him. I hope… At least he was safe. I wasn't. He was one less thing to worry about…for now.

* * *

Wow! That was so kick ass! I cant believe I wrote that ALL in one day! Haha excuse my corny "if someone wrote a book about harry's life.." i just had to do it...sorry guys!

Oohh now Flint's involved. Cedric, too...but what about Oliver? Can Katie trust Flint? What do you think? Is her life safe in his hands? What do you think will happen next? Find out next week on...! Just kidding I'll update soon!

NOTE: Something I forgot to put in: The reason why Flint is "helping" is because, since he's in Slytherin and his family is trusted, he's not in any danger. It was sort of weird to put Flint in there as supposing to be Katie's FRIEND because they're sort of enemies, but using Fred or someone else didnt work- they could be targeted and dead, too. Its almost like in the first or so book how Snape was always looking out for Harry...it just sorta worked ( i hear in the new book snape was all along working for you know who..oh well.. my idea still makes sense!)

Also: something important happens next...

Thank reviewers! You guys are so cool! If it wasnt for your lovely reviews, I wouldnt be doing this... Well. maybe I would be, but the praise makes me do it well:-) Luv ya, another chapter coming soon !


	7. How Could You?

I went down to breakfast the next day, not knowing what to expect. I guess I just sort of ignored it. I had seen Oliver earlier that morning, he had kissed me and hugged me, making sure I knew we had practice today.

When I arrived, everyone else was already there. Fred, Alicia, and Angelina sat facing me and Oliver, George, and Harry had their backs to me. Alicia and Lina caught my eye but they turned away quickly. Too quickly. Fred caught sight of me. I saw his breath hitch in his throat. He tried not to bring any attention towards me, but George turned his head slightly, seeing me out of the corner of his eye. He looked back at the table.

I stopped where I was. Fred blinked at me furiously. He was trying to tell me something. I took a step back and he nodded. I started to retreat. Fred was trying to help me. But what for? Oliver caught what Fred was staring at and turned. He saw me. The look on his face stopped me cold. Confusion, then nothing, then something unreadable. I had never seen that expression on his face before. No, that was a lie. I had seen that expression before. But not in a long time. It was the same expression that I got when I told him about Lupin.

He started to get up from the table but Fred grabbed his arm, holding him back. He said something to Oliver but Oliver didn't seem to hear it. I began to walk towards them. I glanced at my hand. A band of white around my finger. Safe. Well, I didn't really know that, now, did I?

Oliver pulled away from Fred but Fred jumped up, running around the table in front of him, coming towards me. Then Cho got into the mix. She touched Oliver's arm as he came towards me. He stopped and talked to her. Fred came to me. He was trying to stay calm.

"Kate, get _out _of here!"

He called me Kate… this was serious. I frowned, opening my mouth.

"_Katie! _You have to get out of here! I'll meet you in a few minutes! Just leave."

I nodded. I trusted Fred. I turned and left. I looked down at my hand. Pale green and white. Dammit Flint. I made it to the stairs and rushed up, using all my strength. I didn't know what was going on.

I reached the top and I heard someone shout after me. I turned, it was Fred. He hurried up the stairs, faster than I had. He came to me, gasping.

"Please tell me it isn't true. Please…just please tell me!" he begged.

I shook my head quickly. I didn't know what he was talking about. "Fred, I-"

He pushed me slowly backward, towards the Common Room. "If you won't tell me, just don't go near Wood."

I stared at him. "Fred, what are you-"

"Katie, just go to the Common Room, and stay there."

I sighed. This sucked. I wish someone would tell me what was going on. Fred began to walk away, seeming defeated. I went to the Common Room. This was too much. I went into the Common Room. I heard talking outside as soon as I got inside. I heard the door open. I turned around. It was Oliver.

He walked over to me and I wasn't sure how to react. He looked angry. Sad. It hurt to see him like that, it really did.

"Were you going to tell me?"

I frowned. "Tell you what?"

"Merlin, Katie! You think I didn't know? How _could _you?"

"Oliver, what are you-"

"Don't you even SAY that! I can't believe you, Katie!"

I have never seen him look so angry. The door opened to the Common Room and people rushed in, Fred leading them. They stopped suddenly, watching.

Oliver screamed in my face. "Do you have any idea how much I loved you! Was any of it worth it? Was it?"

I sucked my breath in. He grabbed my shoulders and slammed me into the wall. I flinched. "WOOD!" Fred yelled, warning him. He seemed afraid, more than I was, maybe. I didn't think that Oliver would really hurt me.

"Tell me one thing, Katie," Oliver said angrily, leaning towards me, his hand gripping me too tightly, "Did you ever love me?"

I nodded. "Yes." Oliver shook his head. "I didn't expect you to lie, Katie."

I pushed him off me. This was getting ME angry. I was shouting now. "What the HELL are you talking about, Oliver?"

I don't think I've ever been this angry and confused.

"I KNOW about it, Katie! I KNOW about you and Flint! How COULD you! Behind my back! He's a Slytherin! He's the other team's CAPTAIN! What, did you think that if you slept with him, he'd back off and let us win the House Cup!"

Angie gasped, it was that harsh. Bloody hell, I never expected things to turn out like this.

"Even if I WAS sleeping with him, WOOD, it would be for YOUR benefit, that's all you've ever wanted, was to win that bloody cup!"

"That's NOT true!"

I laughed ironically. "Yes, it is, Oliver."

"No. It isn't. I wanted you more than I ever wanted that cup."

I blinked. He was so angry. He shook his head.

"Even if I did want it so BADLY, I still wouldn't want you to sleep with him! I would never do that! But you are, aren't you? You ARE sleeping with him!"

"NO!" I screamed.

"But you love him, don't you?"

"NO!"

"Then why do this! Why to me?"

"Oliver, you don't under-"

His face flushed red with rage. He grabbed me again and slammed me into the wall harder than before.

"Katie, what do-"

I hated this. "DON'T TOUCH ME!"

I shoved him off of me again. I saw my hand, it was a rainbow of colors…in two places. One was a forming bruise on my hand, the other was the ring. It was every color and white.

Oliver stumbled backwards. He laughed loudly. "I would rather DIE than ever touch you again!"

He looked over at Fred, who stood motionless. Oliver looked back at me. "This OVER, Katie. I hate you and I never want to see you again!"

My eyes started forming tears. Even though he was wrong, he was breaking up with me. This was it. I could never explain to him. This hurt more than anything else. A tear slipped away and I let it, hating it. He stepped away from me even more, looking at me like I was covered in something filthy. My hand began to hurt. He started to walk away but I wasn't finished.

"I'm off the team, Wood."

He turned. Quidditch. He had forgotten. No offense to them, but I was a better Chaser than Angie and Alicia. His face went blank for a second.

"Good…we don't need you anyways. You'd be too busy sleeping with Flint out on the pitch!"

Bastard. I stepped forward and slapped him as hard as I could. I didn't even know what I was doing until I had done it. It didn't take a second for him to react. He backhanded me and sent me flying. I landed on the ground. No one moved. My ring started to vibrate.

Oliver looked down at me. Horror at what he had done filled his eyes, then anger. "I should have expected this! When your dad got himself killed and you went to Fred, I should have known then that you'd be like this! You slept with Fred, didn't you! You lied to me about that! Then you went and slept with Flint! I hate you so much, Katie, I don't know how I could ever have loved you!"

I pulled myself to my feet, my cheek starting to burn. "I NEVER slept with Fred and I NEVER slept with Flint! I knew Diggory told you that he saw Flint and I but I thought that maybe you'd be a decent guy and ask me what happened but-"

This outraged him. "DECENT! ME! What about YOU! Well, Katie? You weren't so decent when you slept with them! This was going on the whole time, wasn't it?"

"No, Oliver, just let me-"

"No. Katie, it's over."

"Oliver. You really don't know what you're-"

"Katie, I just can't believe that you'd do something like this. And to me. You said that you loved me. And I am so sorry that I believed you."

"Oliver, _please_."

"Don't even bother, Kate."

He turned and went upstairs to his dormitory. George followed him. Fred whispered something to Alicia and Angelina and they went out through the door. I leaned back against the wall and slid down the wall, closing my eyes, two tears falling.

My hearing was weird. All that yelling and screaming, and now I couldn't hear anything. But I knew that Fred was coming. I felt him kneeling in front of me. He took my hands in his and it was strange. A tender gesture coming after Oliver's harsh ones. Fred touched my cheek. I winced.

"He shouldn't have said that."

I shrugged. "He may be right, or so he thinks. He doesn't know the truth."

"Why don't you tell him?"

"I can't…"

If I told Oliver, he'd be on the list. Fred was amazing, really. After what he just saw and Oliver's convincing argument, Fred still stuck by me. I didn't understand.

I pulled away from Fred. "You should hate me, Fred…"

He shook his head. "No. I know that you would never cheat on Wood. And I know that you would never, ever sleep with someone you didn't love, especially Flint."

I nodded and sighed. I felt so numb. He touched my cheek again.

"He hates me…"

Fred shrugged. "He's just confused…"

"No, Fred, he hates me. Just admit it."

"Okay, he hates you."

This didn't make me feel better. Not at all.

"Are you going to tell me what happened? All I know is that Diggory found you and Flint in the Astronomy Tower and then told Wood."

"I can't tell you, Fred. I can't tell anyone."

Fred looked at me. "Then it's true? Did you really…?"

I shook my head. "There was nothing between Flint and I. Well, almost nothing…"

Fred started at me. The Common Room door flew open. Bursting in came Lupin, followed by Flint. Oh great. I looked down at my ring. I hadn't noticed it. It was deep red, bright green, pale yellow, and whitish-blue.

Flint stared at me, taking in my bruises. "I couldn't get in. I didn't know the password, I had to find Lupin…" Flint explained, breathless. Lupin came over to me. "Katherine, was has happened?"

Fred sighed. "Oliver Wood happened."

Flint's fists tightened. "I'll kill him."

I shook my head, surprised at myself. "No, he doesn't know… Flint, Diggory saw us in the tower last night and told Oliver…he thinks I cheated on him."

"So he beat you?"

I shook my head so quickly it hurt. "No… we just had… a disagreement…things got a little rough…"

Lupin sighed and looked to Fred. "Perhaps you should go Mr. Weasley, Ms. Bell, Mr. Flint and I must talk in private," he said, he turned towards me, "Dumbledore shall be along soon."

I got up, suddenly worried now. I didn't want the Headmaster here, I didn't want him to know about everything, although he probably knew everything in the world. "No, don't let him come. It's nothing, he doesn't need to be here."

Lupin gave me a look that was close to fatherly, a father disagreeing but too tired to argue. He nodded. "I'll inform him."

"Someone care to inform me?" Fred asked. I looked at Flint and Lupin. They both shook their heads.

"We cannot," Lupin said, "but, know this, Katherine did _not_ go behind Wood's back. Mr. Flint was truly intending for her safety and nothing more."

Fred still stared. I sighed. "Fred, remember when my dad died and I was talking about 'the List'?"

Lupin sighed. He didn't think I had told anyone. I ignored him. "Flint's safe and in case of emergency, he's always around. Lupin and Dumbledore are in on this, too. Last night, Flint had me meet him so we could talk about it."

Fred's eyes widened. He understood. Good. "Fred, you can't tell Oliver or anyone else," I stressed.

He frowned. "So you're just going to let him think that you cheated on him! Let him continue to hate you? Let him say things about you that aren't true?"

I sighed again. "If you have to, just let Alicia and Lina, and maybe George know that something is happening, but you cant tell them specifics, just make sure that they know I didn't cheat on Oliver. I would never do something like that."

"Then you still love him?"

I shrugged. "I suppose I do."

"Then how can you just lay back and let him hate you?"

"I'd rather him hate me and have him safe, than let him still love me, knowing that he may be the next to die..."

Fred cringed. "Okay, I'll tell them. I'll try to make sure nothing gets around to Wood."

I nodded and everyone soon left. I was relieved to be alone. I sat on the couch. Oliver and I were no longer dating. He didn't love me anymore. That hurt more than the bruise that splayed across my face. I touched it. It was puffy and it stung.

I lay down on the couch and my good cheek was against the pillow. I stared at the fire and began to cry. I wanted badly to be held, to be told that everything was okay. That wasn't going to happen anytime soon. So, all in all, my father was dead, I might be next, and now I no longer had Oliver.

It had been so easy for him to break up with me. So easy for him to forget that he loved me. He didn't ask any questions, didn't give me the benefit of the doubt, that possibly Diggory had been wrong. I didn't hate Cedric, he was doing what he thought was right. I didn't hate myself either. I didn't hate anyone. Unfortunately, Oliver hated me. And, at the way things were going, he always would be. And he would never know the truth. Because if he did, he might die. I would rather him be alive, hating me, but happy than have him end up dead. I think that would hurt more than anything else.

* * *

dreamy-crazygirl: Thanks, I try. I'm starting to feel like this whole story will be drawing to a close soon.

BrownEyedAthena: Yeah, I did screw up on that. I realized that. I'm sorta too lazy to go change it. You got the idea!

Laceisoverrated: it's seems like you're predicting the plot! Awesome job! .

TooSweet4Words: Indeed, what WILL happen next!

pokethepenguin01/ my dear Alex: yes, perhaps Cedric should stay out of it….

Chapter 8 is coming soon! Yay! I'm more than half done! This whole story is slowly winding down...and it shall be ending soon. So love it while ya got it! Requests for new stories are more than welcome!


	8. In The End

"Katie," Fred said through the door, "Come _on _you'll be late for class! I know Lupin adores you, but he can't let you be late too many times! Let's _go_!"

I didn't move. My door opened and Fred looked at me. I sat cross-legged on my bed, my hands in my lap, looking down, my hair starting to fall in my eyes. It had been about two weeks since Oliver had broken up with me, and, still, we hadn't spoken. We had barely even seen each other. When we were around each other, he didn't look at me. I wanted so badly to look at him, but I couldn't, knowing that he was hating me at that moment.

The swelling on my face had gone down considerably, but I didn't feel ready to go back to class, knowing that the whole school probably thought I had cheated on Oliver. With Flint. Great.

Fred walked over to me and grabbed my hand, attempting to pull me off my bed. I let him and I stood up, grabbing my bag off the floor. I looked at him and the look on his face made it seem like he had never expected me to move again.

When we got into Defense Against the Dark Arts, Alicia and Angelina were waiting for me. They sat at a four-seater bench, but were only expecting me. Fred and George were accompanying Oliver. Fred squeezed my hand reassuringly and tentatively pushed me toward my friends, making me walk past Oliver.

Fred had told Alicia, Angelina, and George about what had happened and they understood. They swore not to breathe a word to Oliver about any of it. They, also, agreed with Fred that it was terrible of me to leave Oliver in the dark about everything, but, in the end, I was right. I was making the right choice.

As I took my seat, Professor Lupin winked at me and smiled reassuringly. He had begged me to let Dumbledore tell Oliver what happened, hoping he would understand, but I told him no. I didn't want Oliver to end up dead, and, if he found out, he would be even more outraged that I was trying to be a 'hero' by keeping him safe, making him seem stupid and not knowing what is going on. I decided to go down the more simple road. Unfortunately, that road was lined with nails, broken glass, and sharp metal, and I was trudging barefoot. And I stepped on something every time I saw Oliver.

Lupin started class and I lost focus. I wasn't paying attention and I know I should have been. Fred passed me a note halfway through class:

"_Wood's terrible. All he talks about is you, either how much you betrayed him or how much he misses you. I think he's starting to regret not listening to you, but, in the end, Diggory did see you and Flint and that's all Wood has to go on, and that's what he has to trust. He might try to talk to you in a few days. I'd say to talk to him, but he was a jerk, no one can forget that. I've also had the pleasure of lecturing him about never, ever touching/hitting/shoving you like that again- or anyone else for that matter. I think he hates himself for losing control like that. I don't think he ever imagined hurting you. I know you can't, but I wish you could tell him. Even if he hated you more because to those reasons you listed, at least he'd know the truth, and then it wouldn't be your fault if he hated you. Oh no…guess who didn't do their homework? I didn't! Bloody hell…By the way, I think Wood wants you back on the team…I think he realized that he needs you, we all do. But we'll see, Wood may be too slow to realize that. When are you meeting with Flint again? I'd like to have a few words with him about this whole situation if you don't mind…Honestly, something's wrong here…something I don't understand…something I'll figure out RIGHT after I can conjure this bloody patronus! Toodles!"_

I folded it back up. Well, that was interesting. I propped my chin up on my hand and blinked. Fred was probably wrong. Oliver wasn't thinking about any of that. I knew Oliver. I knew how he thought. He was still thinking about how much he hated me and how much I hurt him. I hadn't meant to, I swear.

Perhaps I should let Dumbledore tell him, and have him decide for himself. No, I already went over this. It wouldn't be safe. Speaking of safe…I glanced at my ring again, it was beginning to become a habit. It was a deep blood red, green, and white. I looked up at Lupin and he smiled. It was reassuring to know that I was on someone's mind.

The other night, when I took a shower, I wondered if I should take off the necklace Oliver gave me for Christmas. I had left it on. I remembered our conversation on Christmas about the upcoming match, with Flint or Montague threatening to hurt Alicia and I. I remembered what Oliver had said: _"No, if they tried to hurt you…well, I don't know what I'd do. But I won't let them hurt you."_

I would have given almost anything to have him care about me now like he did then. And it really hurt that he didn't give a damn. I'd had a hard time sleeping late at night, knowing that if I died, Oliver wouldn't care. Sometimes it hurt, not falling asleep with him, one of the things I loved doing.

People started moving. Class was over. I hadn't noticed. I got up and someone cleared their throat.

"Ms. Bell, may I have a word with you?"

It was Lupin. I nodded and walked over to him. I felt someone's eyes on my back and I didn't turn to see who it was.

"How are you doing, Katie?"

I shrugged. "I could be better, I guess."

Lupin sighed and sat on the corner of his desk, folding his arms over his chest. "I can tell that this is killing you. You didn't ask for any of this. But, I must say, that I think it is very moral of you to keep Mr. Wood from all of this. Most girls your age would tell them anything and everything to get them to like them again, even if it would mean them getting killed."

"Maybe that's the difference between them and me."

He smiled. "Perhaps." His eyes shot to somewhere behind me. He blinked. He smiled at me again and said, "Maybe you should go."

I nodded and turned. Marcus Flint was waiting in the doorway. He followed me out of the classroom and down the hall.

"How ya holding up, Katie?" he asked me. We had barely had time to talk since Oliver had broke up with me.

I shrugged. "All right, I suppose."

He put his hands in his pockets. "That's good. I can't say how sorry I am that Diggory caught us and caused this whole row with Wood-"

"Flint, it's fine. He would have figured it out anyways."

"But he still doesn't know why this is all happening, does he?"

I shook my head. "No, he doesn't."

Flint sighed. He thought that I should tell Oliver, but then again, he knew why I didn't. I remembered Flint's face when Fred told him that Oliver had hit me. He was so angry. I didn't blame Oliver for it- it was a reaction. I understood better than I should have. Flint soon left me and I went up to the Gryffindor Common room. I tossed my bag on the floor and went up to the Boys' Dormitory to find Fred.

I went to his room and knocked once, then opened the door. I stopped. George and Oliver were the only ones in there. I first saw George, then Oliver. My heart stopped. He looked up at me like he didn't know me and didn't want to. I opened my mouth but nothing came out. I turned to George.

"W- Where's Fred?" I asked. George shrugged. "I haven't the slightest idea."

I was about to close the door when Oliver spoke. "Try finding Angelina, he might be with her, that's if HE isn't cheating on her, too."

I cringed. I bit my lip and nodded. Oliver was so angry at me. His voice was so bitter and mean and it hurt so badly. I shut the door and turned to walk down the hall. I leaned against the wall and sank down to the floor, suddenly numb.

I pulled my knees to my chest and buried my head, almost crying. I heard George's voice inside.

"WHY did you say that, Wood!"

"Why shouldn't I have? Fred may be cheating on Angelina and we would have never known. I mean, take a look at Katie, did anyone expect her to be with Flint?"

I squeezed my eyes shut. I heard George sigh. Then he spoke.

"Wood, honestly, if she had cheated on you, would she have cried when you broke up with her? Wouldn't she have been happy? Wouldn't she have gone and dated Flint now that you aren't in the picture any more? And, tell me, if she had cheated on you, when you said that thing just now, why did she look like she was about to cry? Tell me that."

Oliver didn't say anything. "She didn't deny she was with Flint."

"Maybe she was with Flint about something you don't know. That doesn't mean she was cheating on you."

"Then why didn't she tell me?"

"Look at the way you're taking it now! Perhaps she didn't want you acting like this!"

"I don't care, George. She cheated on me and Diggory supports that. But, you want to know something funny? I think I still love her. Even if she wants someone else, I still love her. I wish that you could just turn off your feelings. But I can't forgive her, though. I don't think I ever can. It's not like she begged me to forgive her or anything…"

I imagined Oliver thinking. What George had said, I would have to explain about later. I would have to tell Oliver everything. Then again, perhaps he would realize that it wasn't my fault and he wouldn't hate me.

I heard footsteps on the stairs but I was too tired to pull myself up. Suddenly, someone one was kneeling beside me, pulling me against them. I knew, just by the touch, that it was Fred. Fred was always there for me through anything.

"What did he say to you this time, Katie?" Fred was tired of Oliver being a jerk to me. I didn't say anything. Fred must be getting tired of me being so…emotional all the time. I really just need to get this all out of my system.

I left and Fred went into his room. I heard George tell him what Oliver had said and then I heard Fred yelling. I really didn't like this situation terribly much. Really, not at all.

I walked down to the Common Room and all the Gryffindors there, stared at me. Some had an angry look, others, a more peaceful, understanding look. I didn't care what they thought. It didn't bother me. Harry looked up at me with eyes that told me that he knew everything. Of course he knew everything, Dumbledore would have told him what was going on.

I went up to my room and, thankfully, no one else was there. I ran and belly-flopped onto my bed, closing my eyes. I lay there for a few minutes, trying to sleep and trying to stay awake.

I heard a small 'pop' near my door and I didn't move. Maybe who ever it was would think I was dead and just leave.

"Katie?"

Ugh. Flint.

"What, Flint?" I muttered into my pillow.

"I just talked to Dumbledore…and…well… he thinks that he should tell Wood."

I sat up. "Why! Does he want him to be possibly killed, too!"

Flint shook his head. "No, I don't think that's it. I mean, if You-Know-Who wants to kill you for whatever reason, he'll assume that you've told Wood everything, since he's your boyfriend and all. Why don't we just tell Wood so he knows? Then if something happens to him, it's not as surprising."

I sighed. He had a point. Damn him.

"Fine, let Dumbledore tell him."

Flint smiled. "He's meeting with Wood right now."

I just sat there. I honestly didn't care. I should have, but I didn't.

"Katie," Flint said, sighing, "Everything will work out…"

I smiled, almost laughing ironically. "No, Flint, it's not. And I think I'm okay with that now. I think that's the one thing I've been the most sure about in a long time. If Wood still doesn't understand, at least he knows."

Flint smiled, his tension easing away. "You know, it's surprising. I mean, for someone who could possibly die at anytime, you're amazingly calm about it."

I shrugged. "I can't control it, so I have to accept it. At least now, Wood would understand if I died."

Flint nodded. He stopped, staring at something, his eyes glazing over. He didn't move. Then: "Dumbledore's summoning us."

I didn't ask how he knew. I got up and went with him to Dumbledore's office.

Flint opened the door quietly and held it open for me, but I shook my head, making him go in first. Flint went inside, but I let the door close behind me, staying in the doorframe.

Dumbledore sat at his desk, looking over at me. I expected Oliver to be in the office as well, but he wasn't. Dumbledore look at me and smiled.

"Katherine, my dear, how are you?"

I smiled. "I'm good."

He laughed. "Wonderful- that is, if you were telling the truth. Now, I have just finished telling Mr. Wood about the predicament we found ourselves in. I think he handled it rather well, but that's just my thinking. Now, Mr. Flint, I do believe your team is meeting on the Quidditch Pitch for practice, it wouldn't be wise of you to be late."

Flint nodded, Apparating, after, first, smiling at me.

Dumbledore cleared his throat. "Katherine, I do apologize for this mess I have gotten you into. If I hadn't asked Flint to help, Diggory wouldn't have said those things to Wood. Unfortunately, I have gotten word that he has broken his relationship with you. I hope that the explanation I gave him today will fix that, if you so wish. I do, however, ask that you 'lay low' for a while. Playing in the Quidditch matches is out of the question."

"It's okay, Professor, I quit the team, anyways."

"Why on earth would you do that?"

"Wood said that he hated me so much, it seemed like the only thing I could do. Besides, I don't think it would work too well, if I played on the team and my captain hated me."

"Oh, now, he doesn't hate you. Hate, I find, is such a strong word, and I do not believe that what Wood is feeling is that. I do think that he is heartbroken, but he will get over that. In the meantime, I hope he begins to speak to you again. Until next time, Katherine!"

I smiled and left. Dumbledore's words should have calmed me. They didn't. I understood that Oliver had hated me. NO, of course that wasn't it, I had broken his heart. Ah, SO much better.

I realized that I didn't care if Oliver hated me or what ever he felt. I cared about his feelings, yes, but it didn't matter to me if he loved me or not. Somehow, I was finally able to accept that.

I went to the Common Room, totally numb and not thinking anymore. I brushed hair out of my eyes and sat down on the couch. No one else was there. I could see Flint and the Slytherins practicing outside on the pitch. It was a good thing that Dad hadn't bought me that new broom- I wouldn't be needing it now.

The thought of Dad didn't make me cry anymore. And the thought of Oliver hating me, suddenly didn't feel so terrible. Fred was still there, at least I still had him. And Angelina and Alicia were there, with their magical donuts. Not to mention Lupin and, now, Flint. My life seemed to be getting back on track again.

I was just about to sigh and smile, thinking how stressful I had made my life, when I heard something. I looked towards the noise and Oliver stood on the stairs. He put his hands in his pockets, his face emotionless.

He walked over to the couch and sat beside me. He didn't look at me for a few moments. He took a deep breath and turned to me. He looked at my eyes first, looking like he had never seen me this way before. Oliver smiled and a sense of how much he had missed me filled his eyes.

I didn't return the gesture. He opened his mouth to speak, but I wasn't listening. He spoke for several moments, pausing every now and then to emphasize something. I still didn't listen.

Obviously, whatever he said was good, for when he leaned in to kiss me, I didn't stop him, he kissed my cheek and I didn't move. He knew something was different and when he pulled back, he finally understood.

This was my life and I controlled whether I made it worse or not. Only I knew whether my life was worth it or it wasn't. Oliver didn't have as much of an affect on me as I had previously thought. He wasn't my world and I didn't want him to be. Love didn't rule my world, and neither did death. They could affect it, but they didn't control everything.

Oliver wrapped his fingers around my hand and I looked down. My ring was blue and white and then, and only then, had I realized what Flint had said about my father being able to think about me.

Maybe my whole idea of being dead and just sleeping wasn't so crazy after all. Perhaps my father was, now, dreaming about me, or something. Even if I was wrong, I didn't care, it was something I thought about that made me feel better.

Perhaps life would be better now, now that Oliver didn't hate me as much. He forgave me and that's all that matters. Things wouldn't be like they used to be and I was glad. I took my hand out of his, pulling me knees to my chest and resting my chin.

Everyone would be happy that it had worked out, but I didn't seem as satisfied. Everything was getting back on track, and I was making it that way. I had accepted my father's death, and I didn't care what my relationship with Oliver was. I still loved him, but that was all. And, I was safe, for now, with Lupin, Flint, and Dumbledore keeping an eye out for me.

In the end it was my world, and I would make of it what I would like. This was my life and I am going to be who I want to be. I would even give up forever to do it all again.

I got up and walked around the couch. I saw Fred, standing at the bottom of the stairs. He smiled at me, understanding everything, like he always did. I touched the ring he had given me and I went to the window. I sat down on the window ledge, the Slytherin team was gone.

I stared out at the empty pitch, the sky so blue, starting to become dark, with the nearing of night. I pressed my forehead to the cool glass and stared out at the world, which seemed so different now.

In the end, everything was how it was supposed to be.

* * *

The End.

I hope you enjoyed the 2 stories, I very much enjoyed writing them, but I felt that this was the way to end it, anything else would just be...useless. Thank you to all my faithful reviewers especially Kelsey and my dear Alex, and the rest of you! Any requests for new stories can be sent to and would be greatly appreciated.

Once again, thank you and goodnight. Adieu.


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